Tempting Fate
by kiloriley
Summary: Jessie is 22 years old, Katie is 23 and has been traveling for the past few years. They are still best friends but Katie has been in and out of Jessie's life, but always comes back when Jessie needs her. And Jessie DEFINITELY needs her right now.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Tempting Fate

Author: KiloRiley

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. If I did, they  
would still be on TV and we would have no need for fan fiction.

Jessie began to feel chills on her neck and shuddered as people scurried around her, leaving a trail of wind causing Jessie to get goose bumps. She sat there, in a big, comfortable chair trying to remain calm. Breathing in and out. She looked to her left and saw Grace trying to cut off the loose thread on her dress. She looked right and saw her frantic mother trying to fix her already perfect hair. Jessie couldn't figure out why her mother was concerned with something so unimportant at this moment. 'I guess we all do different things in stressful situations,' thought Jessie. She looked around and felt the room getting smaller and smaller. She decided to look straight ahead. Straight ahead was safe. There was nothing going on in front of her. She could just focus on the white wall.

"Jessie, look over here!"

Jessie turned her head and was nearly blinded by the flash of a camera.

"Okay, but smile next time."

Jessie smiled and was blinded yet again.

She looked back over at the wall and began to see spots where the flash had blinded her.

Her eyes were trying to adjust when she saw Zoe run across her line of vision with Lily trying to help find her necklace, which apparently had fallen off. Jessie began to slowly breathe in and out again. Her stomach dropped. 'Where the hell is Katie?' she kept asking herself. 'What if she doesn't show up? I need her.'

She looked up to see Eli walk into the door, making his way past Grace, while subtly looking her up and down. Grace looked up and caught Eli's glance just before he looked away and walked toward his sister. He knelt down next to her.

"Hey Jess."

"Hey Eli." Jessie turned to look at her brother.

Eli put his hand on Jessie's shoulder. "You nervous?"

Jessie shrugged. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"Trying not to think about it? Jess, this should be all you're thinking about right now."

"I know. I'm just trying to not hyperventilate. Plus…..well…."

Eli nodded. "Don't worry, Jess. Katie will be here. She hasn't let you down yet, has she?"

Jessie shrugged. "I guess." But she knew that wasn't exactly true. She looked away from Eli.

"Hey," said Eli, bringing her attention back to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just overwhelmed."

"Well, you know you don't have to---"

"I know," Jessie interrupted. "I know, Eli."

Eli looked at his sister. He knew what she was thinking. He knew what she was feeling. He always had that kind of a bond with his sister. He decided not to press the matter and got up. "You look beautiful, Jessie."

"Thanks, Eli."

As Eli walked away, Jessie's stomach became more uneasy. The smell of hairspray was in the air as Zoe started using it abundantly. The room was way too small for so many people to be in here, but Jessie didn't say a word. She just looked over at the door, hoping a familiar face would walk through. Katie always had a way of making everything okay, no matter how stressful the situation.

"Jessie, how are you doing?" Lily broke Jessie's concentration.

"Oh, I'm fine."

"Do you want some water or anything?"

"No thanks."

As Lily walked away, Karen came up to her and touched her hand. "Jessie, do you need anything?"

"No mom, I'm fine. But thanks."

Karen smiled and went to go find Eli.

Jessie closed her eyes for a moment and tried to use her mind to will Katie to walk through the door. It wasn't working. She kept her eyes closed and tried to drown out the sound of everyone bustling around her. Every so often, she would see flashes of light coming from the camera, but she refused to open her eyes. Suddenly, a sense of calmness swept over her. Her body became fully relaxed and a smile crept up on her face as she heard a familiar voice whisper in her ear.

"You thought I wouldn't show up, didn't you?"

Every fear and every doubt evaded Jessie as she felt that warm breath on her skin. Jessie would know that voice anywhere. She opened her eyes and turned to see Katie kneeling next to her. Jessie smiled as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought maybe you weren't---"

"Jessie, I promised you I'd always be there for you when you needed me. I'd never break a promise to you." Katie leaned in to give Jessie a hug and for one moment, Jessie knew everything would be okay. Katie was here. Everything would be fine.

As they pulled away, Katie looked at Jessie. "You look really pale. Are you okay?"

"Really? Because most people are telling me I look beautiful," said Jessie.

"Well you do, but also white as a ghost. Are you sure--" Katie grabbed Jessie's hand and looked up at her. She was completely captivated. This happened every time she was in Jessie's presence. She'd begin to speak, and then suddenly just by seeing Jessie's face, she'd forget everything that was going on around her. Jessie has had Katie under a spell from the moment they met 7 years ago.

"Am I sure…what?" asked Jessie.

"Um…oh. Are you….are you sure this is what you want?"

Jessie looked at Katie, grateful to finally be in the same room with her again. She searched Katie's eyes, trying to find the answer she was looking for. "I…um…"

Katie interrupted, "Because I have my car outside. The engine's running. You know… in case you want to get out of here. We could just run away."

Jessie began to caress Katie's hand. Katie could feel the other girl begin to tremble.

"I…don't know what I want. But I think this is right," said Jessie.

"You think?"

"I know," replied Jessie, more adamantly. "I KNOW it's right."

Katie nodded. "Okay."

Jessie continued. "I mean…look around. Everyone is here. EVERYONE. The money's been paid. There's nothing to do now but wait."

"Wait for what?" asked Katie.

"Four o'clock," replied Jessie.

Katie looked at her watch: 3:53pm. She looked up at Jessie. It had been 4 months since she had last seen her. Katie showed up, late as usual, to Jessie's college graduation and went to the after party, but didn't stay long. But the entire time she was there, they were inseparable as always. Then Katie had to go and Jessie cried, as always. (Of course Katie cried, too but not until she was on the plane. She refused to upset Jessie any more than she already had). She had to hop a flight to Boston. There was no particular reason other than the fact that she happened to just have a plane ticket and it happened to be for Boston, a place she had never been to before. Well, she did have another reason for leaving right away. Jessie had told her something that night. It was something that Katie was dreading. Something that Katie was not ready to hear. Something that Katie didn't want to deal with, so she left, making up an excuse that she had to meet her brother in Boston that night, when in reality she had no family there.

"I missed you, Katie," said Jessie.

She missed Jessie, too. She tried to call as often as she could, but found it difficult to find the right things to say to her. Katie could feel her eyes start to water as she slowly let go of Jessie's hand and stood up to straighten out her dress.

Jessie started to get up. "Are you okay?"

Katie nodded while trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Five minutes."

"Jessie?"

Jessie turned around and saw her father standing at the door.

"You ready, sweetie?"

"Yeah dad. Just give me a minute." She looked back over at Katie, who was trying to keep her tears from falling.

"You really do look beautiful, Jess," said Katie.

Jessie hugged Katie. Katie hugged her back, wrapping her arms tightly around her. She had to force herself to let her go. She leaned in and whispered to Jessie, "Everything's going to be okay. I promise. I'm here."

Katie began to walk toward the door.

"Katie---"

The older girl turned around to hear what Jessie had to say.

"I……" Jessie couldn't get the words out. She looked at Katie, trying to form a sentence.

"Remember, I've got the car running if you wanna leave."

Jessie smiled. "No. I just…."

"Jess….it's time. Let's do this," said Katie. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Katie smiled sweetly at Jessie and walked out the door. Jessie turned and walked over toward Rick. He looked at his daughter, beaming. She was breathtaking. Jessie watched as one by one Zoe, Grace, and finally Katie disappeared through the double doors. Rick then escorted Jessie over to the doors, as Jessie used this final moment to smooth out her long, white dress. Then, the doors opened up and she heard the organ play and watched as the entire church stood up to watch her walk down the aisle. She was the center of attention at this moment. And she really didn't want to be. She never wanted to be. The only time she could ever really be comfortable with people staring at her was when she was on stage. Other than that, she didn't really care for the attention very much. She tried to focus. She caught glimpses of familiar faces as she and her father made their way down the aisle. Family members, friends from high school, friends from college, and some people she had never seen before. She looked straight ahead and saw Katie standing at the end of the aisle watching her with a grin on her face. Katie couldn't take her eyes off of her. Jessie smiled to herself and began to feel a lot less nervous. She reached her destination as Rick kissed his daughter on the cheek and stepped back. Jessie's eyes rested on her fiance as they joined hands and the priest began to speak.

"We have come together to witness and celebrate the marriage of Jessie and David."

To Be Continued….


	2. Chapter 2

Katie sat at the long table, one hand tapping the white tablecloth nervously while her other hand was holding a glass of champagne. She found herself suddenly thirsty as she continually gulped the libation, still unable to quench her thirst. The reception was well underway and Katie watched Jessie being led around table to table by her new husband, David. 'Husband….God that sounds so strange,' thought Katie. She sighed and downed the rest of her drink. She felt a presence sit down next to her and looked over to find Grace, out of breath from dancing.

"Hey."

"Hey, Grace."

"So I haven't really been able to talk to you at all. How have you been?"

Katie was silent for a minute as she brought her focus back to Jessie. "I've seen better days."

Grace was following her line of sight and her eyes fell upon her step-sister. "Oh…I see. I thought…."

Katie grabbed another glass of champagne off the table before turned to Grace. "You thought what?"

Grace didn't know what to say. She always had an inkling about Katie's feelings towards Jessie and back in high school, she had even tried to encourage Katie to tell her how she felt. She honestly believed that after seven years and thousands of miles between them for months at a time, Katie would be over Jessie. Apparently, this wasn't the case. But Katie looked so fragile at the moment, like she was about to break. Like if someone tapped her on the shoulder, she would just collapse under the pressure. Katie had learned to build up a wall in order to deflect what she was feeling. She had several defense mechanisms, but her defenses were never any match for when she was around Jessie. Grace could tell she was trying her best to save face, but there was a sadness about her today. So she decided to choose her words wisely. "I thought…your speech was really nice. And I know Jessie appreciated it."

Katie nodded. "Yeah…" She finished another glass of champagne. "You know, they really don't make these glasses big enough."

Eli came up behind Grace and grazed his hand on her shoulder. He leaned down and whispered, "So…you wanna dance?"

Grace started giggling to herself, partially because of the face that Eli's voice sent shivers down her spine. "Sure."

Eli looked over at Katie. "You know…there's enough of me to go around."

Katie thoroughly looked Eli up and down. "No there's not…but it was a good effort. Come back when you've got a little more weight to throw around."

Eli stared at Katie, half smiling. "I've missed this. This…banter….between us."

"You've missed me. Not the banter. Admit it," demanded Katie.

"Never. But if you change your mind, I'll be on the dance floor, blowing everyone's minds with my mad skills." Eli started demonstrating his "skills" for her. "Jealous?"

Katie gawked at Eli. "How do you not fall down more?"

"Really…I've missed this. You need to come around more often Katie. Come on, Grace."

Eli began to lead Grace away as she turned around. "I'll be back, Katie."

"Hasta la vista, Grace," joked Katie.

Katie watched those two walk away and still couldn't believe they had not hooked up by this point. Granted, there was the whole step-brother/step-sister thing that really didn't seem right when you put it that way. But still, obvious sparks between them were pretty undeniable. Katie pondered that for a minute until she heard a recognizable voice coming from behind her.

"Hey!" Jessie took a seat next to Katie.

"Oh…hey. Where's the husband?" asked Katie.

Jessie looked around. "Uh…I don't know, actually. I think he's at the bar with his friends."

"Shouldn't he be with you?"

Jessie's eyes went vacant for a moment and she shrugged. "I don't know. I guess."

Katie could tell something wasn't right. She pretty much sensed it from when she first saw Jessie before the wedding. She could see it in her eyes. She knew Jessie wasn't happy. She placed her hand on Jessie's hand.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," insisted Jessie. "Why do you ask?"

"You just don't seem happy. Isn't this supposed to be a happy occasion?"

"I'm happy. I am. I'm just…I guess I'm just a little disillusioned. This is supposed to be the best day of my life, right? So why do I feel like I'm just…"

"Going through the motions?" Katie suggested.

Jessie looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, kind of."

Katie had to catch her breath at that moment. She suddenly became incredibly nervous and tried her best not to trip over her words. "Well…maybe he's not the right one for you."

Jessie looked at Katie, with a hurt expression on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…maybe he's not the one you're supposed to be with," said Katie.

"Wow. My maid of honor is actually telling me this on my wedding day?"

"Jess, I didn't mean anything by it. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm just trying to figure out why you're so unhappy."

"David's a good guy. He's decent. A really decent guy," protested Jessie.

"I know," Katie couldn't believe she was saying this now. Why couldn't she have brought this up earlier…like 4 months ago? When Jessie first told her she was getting married. She was beginning to curse all those glasses of champagne she had, but continued anyway. "But that's not a reason to marry someone. Just because they're decent. Maybe that's part of the reason, but hell, Woody Allen seems like a nice guy, but you're not gonna go out and marry him are you?"

"Um…he's a cheating pedophile."

Katie stared at Jessie. Touche. "Right…okay. Bad example."

"Look Katie, you may not like him--"

"I don't even KNOW him. He didn't even talk to me at your graduation party. He hasn't said one word to me today."

"Okay, I know. But he was there for me." Jessie looked Katie directly in eyes, partly because she wanted to get her point across, but mainly because she found it nearly impossible to look away. She was never able to resist the allure of Katie's eyes. She searched Katie's face. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but when she finally snapped out of her daze, she continued. "He was there…when other people weren't."

Those words felt like a knife digging into Katie. She remained fixated on Jessie. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I just…it's been a long day. I don't know half the things I'm saying right now." Jessie realized Katie's hand was still stroking hers. It seemed to have a calming effect on her. She began to smile. Just being in Katie's presence always made Jessie feel better. "Let's just talk about something else?"

"Okay. So how's your music thing going? Any gigs lately?"

Jessie sighed. No. Not recently. I've just been so preoccupied with the wedding, I haven't had time."

"Well, you should get back out there. The sooner the better. The world should no longer be deprived of your voice."

Jessie smiled. "Well, my guitar is in storage at the moment. Besides, David isn't too keen on me performing."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. He just isn't into it. He hasn't shown any interest in coming to my shows or anything."

"Jess, I…that's…I mean, it's such a big part of you. Shouldn't he want to experience that?"

Jessie mulled over that thought and decided to shake it off. "Look, enough about me. What about you? Where have you been?"

Katie smiled back at her. "Missed me, did ya?"

"Maybe a little…" Jessie nudged her friend.

"Well, it's kind of a long story…and very uninteresting."

"I find that hard to believe. With you, nothing is uninteresting."

"Well, before I came here, I was actually in Costa Rica. But it was only for three weeks. Before that, I was----"

"Hey, there you are. Come on, lets go." David seemed to come out of nowhere and pulled Jessie up by her arm, causing the girls to pull their hands apart.

"David, wait. I'm talking."

David impatiently rolled his eyes. "Well, I've got people I want you to meet."

"Hold on. You remember Katie, don't you?"

Katie reached out to shake his hand. "Hey, David."

David threw a little nod in Katie's direction. "Yeah, hi. Come on Jessie. Contrary to what you may believe, this day is NOT all about you."

Jessie shot him a hurtful look.

David could see he was in trouble. "I was kidding. It was a joke….a very bad joke."

He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "By the way, you look great."

He led Jessie away as she turned around and eyed Katie one last time. Katie shrugged and watched Jessie walk off with her husband. As a waiter came walking by, she grabbed another glass of champagne from the his tray and consumed it in a matter of five seconds.

She had hoped it wasn't real. Hoped it really didn't happen. Hoped Jessie wasn't really married to someone else. She hoped it was a dream…a nightmare she has yet to wake up from. Katie was at a loss. She was completely, hopelessly in love with Jessie. For seven years, she had carried around this secret…this love for her friend. And Jessie never knew. Katie had wanted to tell her a hundred times, even back in high school, but she never got the nerve. She had even written Jessie a letter in her English class back in her junior year. The letter contained every single emotion Katie was feeling towards Jessie. She had put her entire heart in that letter Katie had made several attempts to give it to Jessie, but was never able to gather the right amount of courage. Courage was something Katie normally had in spades…except when it came to Jessie. That girl always had a way of making Katie lose her cool. So Katie kept the letter. She held onto it, always waiting for the right moment to give it to Jessie, but that moment never came. As it stands, Katie still had the letter. She kept it with her everywhere she went, just as a reminder. Katie had always been slightly masochistic in that sense. She had a penchant for torturing herself. Katie was in love with Jessie and at times had believed that Jessie was in love with her too. A touch of her hand, a look between them, an embrace that would last longer than necessary…Katie felt it, but never dared to ask how Jessie felt. Their friendship was way too important to ruin in case she didn't feel the same.

Which is why Katie left. She stayed around Evanston for another year until Jessie graduated from high school and they spent all of that summer hanging out. But once Jessie started college, Katie had a feeling it wouldn't take long before she would simply become an unnecessary appendage in Jessie's busy life. That never actually happened. Katie was more a part of Jessie's life than she had ever been before. Jessie didn't care to make any new friends. She figured as long as she had Katie, that was all she needed. Granted, every once in a while, Jessie would go out with a group of people, but it was never any match for when she was with Katie. So, Katie decided maybe she would stay. She never really thought about attending college. She could barely handle sitting through class in high school, she couldn't imagine how she'd get through another four years of classes. But she started attending the junior college and worked as a waitress to make some money. But what changed Katie's mind about leaving was Jessie started dating her first boyfriend 2 months into her freshman year of college. He was a nice enough guy, though for the life of her, Katie couldn't remember his name. But seeing him with Jessie became too much for Katie. They were always together and in Katie's eyes, it almost seemed as though they were rubbing their relationship in her face, which really wasn't the case. She wanted Jessie to be happy more than anything, but seeing her so happy was making Katie miserable, so she left. She just started traveling anywhere and everywhere, working odd jobs all over the place to make money. She'd been all over the US and had made a few stops in several other countries, leaving a trail of broken hearts along the way. She'd meet someone, a guy or a girl, and had hoped every time that they'd be able to fill the void Jessie left in her heart. But no one ever did. Her longest relationship lasted all of two weeks, and that's only because she was staying with this one girl she met in Venice and didn't have enough money to move on at the time. Plus, she didn't speak Italian very well, so every time she tried to end the relationship, she was greeted with a blank stare. She had tried her best to get over Jessie, but nothing ever helped, no matter how far away she was or who she met.

As Katie reflected upon all these memories that came rushing back to her, she grabbed one more glass of champagne and started drinking it.

"Whoa…you may want to pace yourself."

Katie looked over to see who that voice belonged to and saw a guy she'd never seen before. She looked him up and down and smiled at him. "I'm Katie."

"I'm Ryan." They shook hands as Katie looked back over at Jessie. Her heart palpitated as she found Jessie looking back at her. Even from across the room, Katie had managed to hold her gaze until David led Jessie away again. Katie turned back to face Ryan and smiled at him.

"So Ryan…you wanna get out of here?"

Ryan was a little taken aback, but tried not to show it. He smiled at her. "Absolutely."

As Katie grabbed her sweater and was led out the door by Ryan, she looked back at Jessie one last time. Jessie must have felt Katie's eyes on her because she looked over just in time to see Katie leave with her latest conquest. Jessie's eyes followed Katie as she  
disappeared out of sight with the door closing behind her.

To Be Continued….


	3. Chapter 3

The shrill sound of the phone in Katie's ear woke her up at 6:30 in the morning. This did not help her massive hangover as she reached over the answer her cell phone.

"Hello?" Katie was still groggy and not sure who would have the audacity to call her this early in the morning.

"Hey."

"Jess?" Katie started to become more alert of her surroundings and began to look around.

"Yeah. Sorry. I probably woke you up, didn't I?"

"No…well, yeah, but it's fine. You can call me anytime. You know that. Is everything okay?" The more Katie looked around, the more she realized how unfamiliar everything was.

"Yeah…I'm fine. It's just, well you left so early last night. I didn't even get a chance to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For everything. For just being there, even if you did bail out early."

"Yeah…I'm sorry about that. I really shouldn't have left. It's just…"

"I know. You met someone. I saw you leave with him," said Jessie, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

It suddenly clicked for Katie. She had forgotten she left with someone until Jessie had just pointed it out to her. Katie didn't know what to say. She felt horrible. "Yeah…I'm sorry. I know that's no excuse, but in my defense you really shouldn't have had an open bar."

Jessie laughed. "It's okay. Really. I'm used to it by now. No guy has ever been able to resist the charms of Katie Singer," said Jessie. "And I've met Ryan. He's an okay guy." For some reason, Jessie found it difficult to choke out that last sentence.

"Who?" asked Katie.

"Ryan. The guy you left with."

Katie looked down at the bed and then slowly turned over to see a strange guy sleeping soundly next to her. "Oh God," she whispered to herself.

"What?"

Katie put her head in her hand. "Oh…nothing. Umm….look, I should go," she whispered. The last thing she wanted was Jessie to hear 'stranger boy' wake up and start mumbling.

"Okay. But I leave tomorrow. I mean, we leave. For our honeymoon. Do you think we can meet for lunch today? I'd love to see you."

Katie thought for a minute. "Um…sure. I think I can arrange that." Katie looked over at Ryan, who was beginning to stir.

"Great. David and I will meet you at one."

"David?" It hadn't crossed Katie's mind that David would be joining them. 'Of course he would,' she thought. 'He's her husband.' She started gathering her clothes as quickly and quietly as possible.

"Yeah…David. You know…that guy I married 15 hours ago," replied Jessie.

"Right. Of course. Ummm…" Katie really wanted to see Jessie. But she didn't know if she could handle seeing her with---well, the visual became too much for Katie. It was different last night. She was able to numb her emotions with alcohol, but after this hangover, Katie wasn't planning on drinking again for a very long time. She just didn't think she was ready to accept that Jessie had slipped away from her. Katie had seven years to tell Jessie how she felt and now there was no chance of ever being anything more than friends. Katie blamed herself. And she knew it wasn't fair to Jessie and she knew it wasn't right to blow her off, but this was all too real for her. And she didn't think her heart could take it. She sat down on the corner of the bed. "Actually Jess, I don't think I'll have time to meet you. I've gotta pack."

"But I thought your flight was in a few days," protested Jessie.

"Well, I actually bumped it up to today. I really have a lot of stuff to take care of." Katie felt like the worst person alive. She hadn't bumped her flight up yet, but she definitely was going to now. The only reason Katie would have to stay in Evanston longer than she had to was Jessie. No one else and nothing else ever mattered to Katie. But with Jessie leaving for two weeks and now currently attached at David's hip, there was really no point in Katie staying any longer.

Jessie was silent for a moment. "Katie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you hate me?"

Those four words cut Katie in half. She felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. "No. No, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. I just have a lot going on right now. And so do you." Katie's mind was racing and all she could think was 'Tell her you love her. Tell her you love her.' But the words never came out.

"Well, yeah but…"

"I promise we'll see each other again soon. I'll be back before you know it," reassured Katie. "And in the meantime, we'll call each other."

Jessie sighed. "Okay."

There was a silence on the phone until Katie finally broke it. "I really hope you and David will be happy." It was the biggest lie Katie had ever told.

"I'm gonna miss you, Katie."

"I know. I'll miss you too."

As she hung up the phone, Katie grabbed the rest of her stuff and made a mad dash for the door. She looked back at Ryan, who was sound asleep again, and then she turned and walked out the door without giving him another thought.

Two months had gone by since the wedding. The girls hadn't seen each other since the wedding, but they had talked on the phone a lot. Even more often than they used to. Jessie loved hearing Katie talk about her travels and the strange people she meets along the way. Jessie always looked forward to their phone calls. And when they weren't talking on the phone, she found herself thinking about Katie. A lot. Things hadn't been going to well with David and Jessie would always tell herself to 'find a happy place.' Her thoughts would always fall on Katie. It seemed to make things okay for a little bit.

Right now, Jessie was sitting on the couch, trying to drown out the sound of David yelling at her. She knew he had a temper and had witnessed it a couple times before but really didn't understand what the big deal was about this. All she did was get her guitar out of storage and arrange to perform one night at a local club.

"Are you even listening to me?!?"

David's question finally brought Jessie back to the here and now. "Yeah. I just don't understand why you're so upset. It's one show."

"So this is what you're going to do? You're going to be a musician?" asked David.

"David, you knew that about me since you met me. Yes, this is what I want to do. I put it aside recently. For you. But you can't expect me to be satisfied with a desk job the rest of my life. I mean, I know it pays well, but it's not what I want. I at least have to have this on the side. It's just one night, okay?"

"Yeah, and one night will turn into two. And then twelve. And then you'll quit your perfectly good job and I'll have to fully support you financially…"

"Hey, if this is about money, I can take care of myself," insisted Jessie, who was growing increasingly tired of David's opposition to her music. "What happened to you? I mean, who are you? Because I'm not so sure I know anymore."

David was silent for a moment. Jessie could tell he was just seething. He looked at her and shook his head. "I gotta go."

"Where are you going?"

"Out," he replied curtly and slammed the door.

She picked up her guitar, which was right next to her and started playing. It managed to soothe her. She had been in need of a lot of comforting in past couple weeks. Once they had gotten back from their honeymoon, things seemed to start going downhill. It had only been two months, but Jessie was increasingly beginning to believe she'd made a horrible mistake in marrying David. But she knew she couldn't just walk away. How could she? They'd only been married such a short amount of time. She didn't want to appear like she was just giving up. And she didn't want to look like a failure. Her fingers stopped moving along the neck of the guitar and the music stopped. She sat there for a moment, feeling like she was ready to cry. Not because of David, or their fight. But because Katie's face had suddenly appeared in her mind. And though the thought of Katie made her smile, she could feel the tears welling up because she felt an intense longing inside of her. She missed her friend. She missed her badly and wanted to see her.

Jessie put her guitar down, reached over, picked up her phone and called Katie.

"Hello?"

"Katie?"

"Hey Jess! That's so weird. I was just about to call you."

"Really?" said Jessie, wiping her tears and trying to mask the quivering in her voice.

"Yeah. I had this strange feeling that I should just…call you. But I guess you beat me to it. Is everything okay?"

"Umm….well, no. Not really. But I can honestly say that hearing your voice is already making me feel better."

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, David and I had a fight."

"Again?"

"Well…yeah. He just stormed out."

"I'm so sorry. What happened? He didn't hurt you or anything, did he?"

Jessie smiled to herself. She loved it when Katie showed her protective side. "No. Nothing like that. And I'm actually not that upset about it. He's just a sad little boy. He doesn't like not being in control."

"So if you're not upset about it, then why are you crying?"

"Well, I was thinking about you."

"I made you cry? Wow, sorry. I know…I have that effect on people. Just be glad you're not here in person. You wouldn't be able to stop the tears. I'm hideous. Just don't look directly at me, and the crying should subside," joked Katie.

Jessie lay back on the couch and laughed. "I'm sorry, are you really inferring that you, Katie Singer, are in some way….UNATTRACTIVE?"

"Well, at the moment…yes. I haven't had my morning coffee and I somehow fell asleep with my face on the remote control. Yes. I am that sexy."

"Where are you?"

"I'm crashing at a friend's house," replied Katie.

"Okay. But I meant WHERE. Like in what city?"

"Oh. I'm in Kalispell right now. Montana," said Katie, as she was preparing a pot of coffee. "It's beautiful out here. It would be a perfect place to have a ranch."

Jessie smiled. She knew exactly what Katie was getting at. Katie always had an impeccable memory. Things that Jessie said years ago somehow stuck in Katie's head like superglue. "Oh really. A ranch, huh? That does sound nice."

"Jess."

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

Jessie sighed and sat up. "I don't know."

"I don't like that answer," said Katie.

Jessie paused for a moment. She knew what she wanted to say, but really didn't know how to put it into words. Her voice lowered. "I'm happy when I'm with you."

At that moment, Katie needed a chair. Any chair. She felt weak and knew her knees would give out on her. Since she knew she couldn't make it to the table, she sank down with her back against the kitchen cabinets and sat on the floor. The linoleum floor was cold and she was only in shorts and a tank top, but she didn't care. She managed to somehow form a sentence. "I…I'm happy when I'm with you, too."

Immediately, Katie banged the back of her head against the cabinet. 'Nice, Singer. Real smooth. Just repeat exactly what she said to you. Real articulate. Idiot!'

Meanwhile, Jessie was reeling from what she had just said to Katie. She heard Katie's response, but was dwelling on the fact that she didn't even know why that came out of her mouth in the first place.

"You're my best friend, Katie."

"I know." Katie closed her eyes and took a moment to remind herself that Jessie was taken. Very taken. Sworn to someone else.

"When are you coming back to Evanston?" asked Jessie.

"When do you need me there?"

"Well, I have a show coming up in a couple weeks. Can you make it?"

Katie was ecstatic. "You're performing? That's so great! Yeah, I'll be there. I promise."

"Good. It'll be nice to have a familiar face there," said Jessie.

"Well, David's coming too, right?"

"I don't think so. That's kinda what we fought about. He doesn't want me to do it."

"What the hell is wrong with him?" asked Katie. "I mean…has he HEARD you sing?"

"I don't think he hears anything I say. He's just…I don't know. Absent," said Jessie.

"Absent?"

"He's never home. And when he is, he ignores me. Unless, God forbid, I do something he's not happy about. I mean…we get along okay. I guess." Jessie paused for a second. "He doesn't have a sense of humor. He does not laugh. I like to laugh, Katie. You know this. And I like to surround myself with people who like to laugh. He used to laugh. But now, he just doesn't."

"Wow. I'm so sorry, Jess. You know, if he's not treating you right and if you're not happy, maybe you should get out of it."

"Out of what?"

"The marriage. If it's this bad two months in, I don't even want to know what the rest of your life will be like with him. Jessie, you're smarter than this. You're way too independent to let someone try to run your life."

"I'm not letting him run my life. I'm just trying to carve out a life of my own…with him. Things don't always turn out the way you plan, but…

"What do you mean?" asked Katie.

"Nothing. It's fine. It'll all work out," assured Jessie. "In the meantime I could really use a friend. I miss you. I miss you more than you even know."

"I'll book my flight now," responded Katie.

To be continued……


	4. Chapter 4

As she was fumbling with her guitar strap trying to get it secured, Jessie nervously looked around. She saw people. A fair amount of people, but no one she recognized. She began to adjust the microphone stand but found it difficult to focus. Every time she took a breath, her stomach would drop. Anxiety was setting in. She hated this part. The part right before she began performing. It was the worst. What made it even more difficult right now was the fact that she didn't have an ally in sight. She knew her mom was unable to make it, but Eli…she was hoping he'd make good on his word and show up. Also, in the back of her mind, she thought there might be a chance that David would actually show up and support her. But she knew the odds were slim on that one. The one person she wasn't worried about was Katie. She knew Katie would show up. More than likely it would be five to ten minutes late because it just wouldn't be Katie if she didn't make a fashionably late entrance. It's not something Katie does intentionally. She just never saw the point of living life by other people's schedules when her schedule suited her just fine. She always said life was much less stressful that way. Jessie smiled to herself and shook her head as she thought of this. 'She'll probably show up in the middle of my second song.'

As Jessie finished unwinding the cables and plugging in to her acoustic guitar, she looked around once more, just in time to see Eli walk through the door. Eli looked up on the stage and saw his sister beaming at him. He nodded his head, waved and took a seat at the bar. Jessie stepped up to the mic and took a deep breath.

"Hey everyone. Um…my name is Jessie," she stopped and looked around one last time for David. Then she continued. "Jessie Sammler. Um…okay. Hopefully you like what you hear."

Jessie shyly looked down at her guitar and started playing. She kept her eyes closed during the entire first song. She wasn't ready to see anyone's reactions just yet. Eli grinned as he watched his sister. She was so modest and unassuming. She couldn't see what he saw: the entire audience was captivated. Hardly anyone made a sound. As soon as Jessie started singing, everyone just stopped what they were doing and listened. When the song was over, Jessie opened her eyes and was greeted with an erupting applause. She giggled and thanked the crowd then turned her focus to the door as she saw Grace walk in. Eli jumped off the stool and waved Grace over to him. They took their seats at the bar as Jessie started her next song. This time, she only kept her eyes closed part of the time. Partly because she was finally getting into the rhythm of things and partly because she wanted to keep her eye out for Katie.

As she was singing, Jessie's focus was immediately pulled to the door. Just like clockwork, Katie was standing there as Jessie was halfway through her second song. The girls locked eyes. Katie didn't move. She stood in the middle of the doorway and just watched Jessie sing. Jessie didn't take her eyes off of Katie. She always found it difficult to look away from her, especially since she rarely saw her these days. Katie slowly started moving over to where Grace and Eli were sitting, and Jessie's eyes followed her the entire way. Neither girl broke eye contact until Katie, being ever-so-smooth, ran into the bar stool and knocked it over. It made a loud clanging sound and everyone in the bar turned to see who was making such a ruckus. Katie's shoulders tensed up and she looked down in embarrassment. Grace helped her pick up the stool as Eli started laughing.

"Very suave, Katie," teased Eli.

"Yes I am. You should try it sometime," replied Katie.

Eli opened his mouth to say something, but Grace shot him a look so he backed down.

Jessie was trying to get through the rest of her song without chuckling at Katie's momentary clumsiness, so she thought it best to look away from the bar for the time being.

"She sounds great," Katie whispered to Grace as she finally took a seat on the barstool.

"Yeah. I keep telling her she's gonna be famous one day. She refuses to listen," Eli chimed in. "I'm trying to get her to start a band with me."

"And what did she say?" asked Grace.

"Oh, well…she says she totally wants to but…um…I don't know. Something about David not liking it or whatever." Eli tried to play it off as if it were nothing, but both Grace and Katie could see that it disturbed him a little bit.

As Grace and Eli continued talking, Katie looked over at Jessie. She studied her. Well, at least as much as she could from 15 feet away. She could tell something was off. It was in her eyes. Katie could always tell what Jessie was feeling just by looking in her eyes. And she remembered how alive and passionate Jessie's eyes were. There was a fire inside her that Katie just loved. And, though she could still see a trace of passion in those blue eyes, Katie could tell it was fading fast. Something had wiped her spirit away. In a way, she looked almost…defeated. But still, Katie was even more in love with her than before.

"Katie?"

"Hmmm?" Katie tore her eyes away from Jessie to look at Eli.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you since the wedding."

"I've been…surviving. I guess that's the best way to put it."

"Yeah? Jessie said you were in Vegas last year. How was that?" asked Eli.

"Oh, yeah I was only there for a couple weeks. It was…..different," Katie grinned, remembering the odd people she encountered while she was there.

"I was thinking of getting out there one of these days," said Eli. "I think I could make some good money out there."

"Oh yeah. You'd be perfect as one of those guys who hands out free porn on the strip," quipped Katie.

Eli just gaped at Katie. "Really. I've missed this. Truly. But, no. I meant as a musician."

"Ooohhhhh, I see. Okay," Katie played dumb. Eli shook his head. He knew he had to constantly be on his toes whenever Katie was around.

"Well, I hate to interrupt this insult-a-thon between you two, but I should get going," said Grace. She turned to Katie. "Can you tell Jessie she did awesome? Let her know I'll call her tomorrow."

"Sure," said Katie.

As Grace was turning to leave, she looked back at Eli and remained fixated on him. He looked over at Katie. "Oh…uh. Yeah, I should go, too. But can you tell her that she was amazing?" He leaned over and whispered, "And let her know I'm sorry I had to leave early."

Katie smiled. "I'll let her know."

Eli leaned in and gave Katie a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek. "It really was good seeing you again. Don't be a stranger."

As Eli and Grace walked out, Katie was finally left alone to focus on her reason for coming here: Jessie.

As the applause died down again, Jessie looked directly at Katie started to speak. "Okay, so I've got one more song for you. Hopefully it'll speak to you the way it speaks to me."

Jessie tried to make it look like she was referencing the whole audience, but with the way Jessie was staring at her, Katie had a gut feeling she was talking to her.

Jessie started in the with the guitar, not once taking her eyes off of Katie. All of a sudden, Katie became alive. She became elevated by the look in Jessie's eyes. She could see something had changed again. That intensity and passion that Katie thought was lost was now back in Jessie's eyes and every fiery emotion Jessie was feeling was now being projected directly towards Katie. And all Katie could do right now was watch and listen as Jessie began to sing.

"Say goodbye to the old street that never cared much for you anyway  
And the different colored doorways you thought would let you in one day  
Goodbye to the old bus stop frozen and waiting  
The weekend edition has this town overrated.  
You walk across the baseball green  
The grass has turned to straw  
A flock of birds tries to fly away from where you are  
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye old friend  
I can't make you stay  
I can't spend another ten years wishing you would anyway

How the sky turns to fire  
Against the telephone wire  
And even I'm getting tired of useless desires…"

The words flowed through Katie like a raging flood of emotions. She knew Jessie was trying to tell her something. She knew how much Jessie hated it when Katie left. She knew Jessie was hurting because of that, but she didn't realize how much until now. Even though every fiber in her being wanted to look away from Jessie, she couldn't. Jessie wouldn't let her. Katie just sat there, feeling powerless over Jessie's magnetism and control. Katie felt the tears welling up in her eyes as Jessie continued singing.

"Everyday I take a bitter pill  
It gets me on my way  
For the little aches and pains  
The ones I have from day to day  
To help me think a little less about the things I miss  
To help me not to wonder how I ended up like this

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye old friend  
You wanted to be free  
And somewhere beyond the bitter end is where I wanna be

How the sky turns to fire  
Against the telephone wire  
And even I'm getting tired of useless desires..."

Jessie gripped her guitar tightly as she sang. Initially, she had no intention of even singing this song tonight, but for some reason seeing Katie made her realize how badly she ached for her. How badly she missed her. How badly she needed her. How badly she didn't want to see her walk out of her life yet again. She couldn't explain it. She didn't know why Katie invaded her thoughts so much. She just knew, like she knew back in high school, that she couldn't be without Katie. And she was tired of having to constantly say goodbye. She didn't understand why it broke her heart so much, but it did. She used to think that the longer Katie was away, the easier it would be, but she was very mistaken. She had asked Katie to stay several times and didn't understand why Katie always chose to leave. But now, maybe with these words, she could get her point across. She didn't want Katie to leave again. Their friendship was too strong of a bond to be ripped apart yet again. Jessie's heart began to shatter a little bit when she saw Katie begin to cry. She wanted to cry too, but manage to fight back the tears in order to get through the rest of the song.

"Say goodbye to the old building that never tried to know your name  
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye old friend  
Guess you won't be seeing me again

How the sky turns to fire  
Against the telephone wire  
It burns the last of the day down  
And I'm the last one hanging around

Waiting for you on the train tracks

But the train never comes back  
And even I'm getting tired of useless desires."

Once the song was over and Jessie received her accolades from the spectators, she tentatively walked off the stage towards Katie. As she saw Jessie walking over toward her, Katie sat up straight and tried to wipe away any stray tears she had. The girls greeted each other with a hug. It was gentle and sweet, yet there was a sense of longing behind it and both girls had difficulty letting go.

Katie took this opportunity to whisper to the younger girl. "You were so incredible. You just blew me away. Along with everyone else."

Jessie didn't care about the praise or what anyone else thought of the performance. All she whispered to Katie in return was, "I missed you."

Katie slowly pulled back from their embrace. "I missed you, too."

The two girls stood there mesmerized with each other. Katie desperately searched Jessie's eyes for any sign of what she may be feeling. Jessie sat on the stool next to Katie. After singing that song, she knew there would be some awkwardness between them, but she tried to avoid it at all costs.

"So how was Montana?"

"Oh. Well, it was nice. Very peaceful. I think I might actually go back there one of these days. And I hardly ever return to the scene of the crime, so that's how you know it's a truly remarkable place."

"Really. So you're finally thinking of settling down in one place, huh?"

Katie shrugged. She honestly didn't know what to say to that. But Montana is not what she wanted to talk about at the moment, and they both knew it.

"So, that song," began Katie.

"Yeah?"

"That was really beautiful. I mean…it really spoke to me. It affected me," admitted Katie.

"It was supposed to." Jessie kept her gaze on her friend.

"You had me in tears."

"I can tell," replied Jessie as she reached up and wiped a tear away from Katie's cheek. "I'm sorry it made you cry. I just…I hate it when you leave."

"I know."

"So then why do you always run off?" asked Jessie. "I want you around. I want to be around you. Constantly. I just feel so empty without you. It's like my life is divided into two things: seeing you. And counting the days until I can see you again. And I know that sounds strange, but I can't really put it any other way. I just miss my friend. Why don't you want to be around me?"

Katie was completely taken aback by Jessie's honesty. She wasn't prepared for them to come to blows about this so soon, but Jessie's truthfulness just seemed to erupt out of nowhere. "I do want to be around you."

"Then move back to Evanston. Things just seem to be better when you're around. For some reason, my life just makes sense with you in it. Stay here. You've done enough traveling," pleaded Jessie.

"It's not the lure of traveling that takes me away," admitted Katie.

"Then what is it?"

Katie thought for a moment. 'You,' she thought. 'You're the reason.' But was she really ready to divulge everything at this moment? No. Now was not the time. She needed an out, so she changed the subject. "Why didn't you ever leave? Go somewhere else?"

"What do you mean?" asked Jessie.

"I thought you wanted to travel, too. I mean, what happened to your plans of living on a ranch?"

Jessie was speechless. "Well…what about you? I don't see you living in a loft in London."

"I did! For a year. You know that. I wanted you to come visit me, but you never did. And I kept waiting for an invitation to your ranch, but never got one. Because you never left Evanston."

"I have a life here," insisted Jessie.

Katie took Jessie's hand in hers. "What life, Jess? You should be out on the road playing your music. Doing what makes YOU happy. Not living with some guy who clearly takes you for granted and treats you like you don't matter."

Jessie tried to pull her hand away, but Katie wouldn't let her. She gripped tighter and looked directly at Jessie.

"I'm sorry. I know that wasn't a nice thing to say and it hurts to hear it, but it's the truth. It's time you recognize that. He ignores you. He didn't even show up tonight! I see the look of disappointment on your face and I could kill him for that reason alone. You don't deserve to be treated like that, Jessie."

At this point, Jessie was the one who had tears in her eyes. She looked around and noticed that the place had pretty much cleared out, with the exception of a couple people. She looked back at Katie, whose eyes were provocatively burning into her. She drew closer and closer to Katie, completely spellbound by her intense gaze. She was inches away from Katie's face and with tears in her eyes, whispered to her.

"I don't think I'm in love with him anymore." Jessie's voice wavered as those words rolled off her tongue.

Katie didn't know what to do or say. She simply nodded, letting her friend know that she was there and she understood. Jessie needed to be closer to her friend. Their hands clasped together was simply not enough, though she could feel the extreme heated energy that passed between them. Jessie was now centimeters away from Katie's face as she whispered to her once more.

"Why can't I stop thinking about you?"

Katie was frozen. She honestly believed at that moment her heart literally stopped. She could feel her breath growing shorter and shorter the closer Jessie came. She could hear Jessie's breath grow smaller and sharper as she gripped Katie's hand tighter. Jessie stayed there, so close to Katie, their lips were just barely grazing each other, but not enough for either girl to feel it. As Katie tried to steady her breath, she attempted to gain the courage she needed to just meet Jessie the rest of the way. She just needed the strength to lean forward ever so slightly. But somehow, Katie was immobile. Perhaps the shock of this situation being all too real, instead of one of the many fantasies she had played out in her head throughout the yearss. Both girls stayed in this position until Jessie realized what was happening. She began to speak and as her lips moved, Katie could faintly feel them against her lips.

"I should get home. It's getting late." Jessie slowly pulled back, but didn't let go of Katie's hand right away. She looked down at their hands touching and looked back at the older girl. There was a rawness in Jessie's eyes that Katie had never seen before. Jessie opened her mouth to say something. But nothing came out. She slowly let go of Katie's hand.

"So, I'll call you. Okay?"

Katie nodded.

"Thanks for coming to this. It really meant a lot. So, I'll see you soon, right?" asked Jessie.

Again, all Katie could do was nod.

To Be Continued…….


	5. Chapter 5

Ever since that night at Jessie's show, Katie had endured the absolute longest month of her life. She wanted to go back in time to that night and actually say something to Jessie. Words would have probably been better than just silently nodding. She had waited for Jessie's phone call because she said she would call. Katie waited and continued to wait. She had stayed around Evanston for an entire week waiting for that phone call. But her phone never rang. She contemplated seriously about calling Jessie to see what was going on, but had no idea what she would even say to her. And it was becoming abundantly clear that Jessie did not want to talk to her. Still, Katie waited. She had to tolerate crashing at her parents' house for the duration of her stay. But it finally got to the point where Katie knew she had to leave. Her heart was beginning to ache again for Jessie. The last time she saw her, she was so close. They were so close. They were right there and all Katie needed to do was capture Jessie's lips, but now all Katie can do is reflect on the biggest regret of her life. She decided to she needed to go. She needed to be anywhere but here. Knowing she was within miles of Jessie, breathing the same air as Jessie was way too much for Katie to handle. So she called her friend one time, to tell her goodbye. Jessie didn't answer and Katie was not surprised. She simply said that it was great seeing her, but she had to get going and told Jessie to call whenever she needed anything. And then, Katie bought a plane ticket and was gone.

That entire week, Jessie agonized over calling Katie. She knew she wanted to, but something was holding her back. Perhaps the same thing that was holding her back the night of her gig. Something was holding her back from kissing Katie. Jessie had come to believe that it was fear. Fear of feeling this newfound affection for Katie. Though it wasn't new. It was an all-too-familiar feeling for Jessie. Something she had felt the moment she met the older girl, but for some reason it had been becoming more and more urgent within Jessie. She began to think of nothing else but Katie. She replayed that moment over and over again when their lips were barely touching and she could feel Katie's breath on her skin and Katie's eyes burning into hers. That was the most intimate moment she had ever shared with anyone, even David. There was no intimacy between Jessie and her husband. And thinking back, Jessie began to realize there never had been. He was just always…there. And she could see why she cared for him, but was beginning to believe that she was not in love with him. She never was. But why couldn't she just call Katie? In the last week, this burning inside of Jessie had somehow turned into a five-alarm fire raging out of control. At night, her thoughts fell upon Katie. And in the morning, at work, even doing the most mundane things like breathing or strumming her guitar, the only thing her mind would rest upon was Katie. And feeling something this strong for someone who meant so much to her, terrified Jessie to no end. She kept telling herself it wasn't real. What she was feeling was simply misplaced passion. The passion she should feel for David was being transferred over to Katie because Katie actually showed signs of caring about Jessie. So Jessie convinced herself that that was it. She wasn't in love with Katie. She was just confused. And now completely embarrassed about her actions. So she just couldn't call Katie, not matter how painful it was for her.

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A month later, Katie was sitting on her Memphis apartment balcony, watching the sun set. It was freezing, almost to the point of snowing, but Katie didn't care. She wanted one last sunset before winter took over and made then invisible for a few months. As she watched the sky become a darker red, she felt a shudder. And at that moment, her cell phone rang. Katie didn't even have to look at the number. She knew who it was. Even though she was hurt that Jessie waited a month to call her, she couldn't hide her smile as she answered the phone.

"Hey Jess."

"Katie…I--I wasn't expecting you to answer."

"Let me guess. You were gonna leave me a message and you have everything you were gonna say all written out on paper in front of you," said Katie.

Jessie laughed. "Uh…well, yeah. Pretty much."

"Well, sorry to ruin your plans."

"Katie Singer: plan ruiner," teased Jessie.

"At your service. So what's going on?"

"Um…." Jessie looked down at her notes. She really hadn't planned on Katie answering and now she was completely thrown off. "I was wondering if you were gonna be back in town for Christmas."

Katie smiled. "Well, I'm thinking my parents might be kind of hurt if I blew them off this year, so yeah. I'll be around."

"Okay. Good. Because I miss you," Jessie was nervously pacing the floor.

"Really," began Katie, solemnly. "Because I wouldn't have known. I thought you were going to call me."

Jessie was quiet on the other end.

Katie continued. "I mean, I waited around. I was waiting for you to call. I even stayed with my parents 6 days longer than I ever intended to. I mean…the sacrifices I make for you, Jessie. Really. Come on now."

Jessie knew Katie was teasing, but under that joking exterior, she could hear the pain in Katie's voice.

"I should have called you. I'm sorry. I just…I didn't know what to say."

"You could have just said 'hi.' I would have been okay with 'hi,'" said Katie.

Jessie continued her pacing until she heard keys rattling at the front door. David was home. She ran into the bedroom and into the walk-in closet, closed the door behind her and began to whisper.

"I just hate talking to you on the phone. It's a constant reminder of the fact that you're not here," admitted Jessie.

Katie's stomach quickly dropped at that statement and then she quickly reminded herself that Jessie only wanted her friend with her. Her FRIEND. "But I was there. Like barely a mile away from you. And why are you whispering."

"Jessie!!!"

Katie could hear David calling for Jessie through the phone.

Jessie continued to whisper, "Look, can you just call me when you're in town. Do you know when that will be?"

"Sometime next week. Probably Wednesday. But Jess, why are you whispering? Is it just because David is there?"

Jessie didn't know how to answer that. Why WAS she hiding? It's not like her friendship with Katie was any big secret from David. Still, for some reason she really didn't want David to listen to their conversation.

"No, it's just…I don't know actually. Um…so where are you?"

"Oh, right now I'm in Memphis. Elvis was calling to me. Though I'm only in a month-to- month lease, which is up next week. I probably won't be coming back. I've had my fill of the blues. And Beale street can be kind of depressing at times."

"So Memphis isn't worth coming back to?" asked Jessie.

"Well, not for me. It's definitely no Montana."

"Is that still the only place you'd go back to?"

"Well, that and Evanston. But for very different reasons," informed Katie.

Jessie smiled as she whispered one more time, "So, I'll see you next week?"

"Yeah. You'll see me next week."

It wasn't until Katie hung up the phone when she realized the sky was completely dark now and it felt about ten degrees colder than it was before. For some reason, she didn't seem to notice that when she was talking to Jessie.

Meanwhile, as Jessie hung up, she opened her closet door to see David coming into the bedroom.

"Oh, there you are. What were you doing in there?"

"Uh…cleaning," Jessie internally kicked herself. She was never really good at lying and had the world's worst poker face, but for some reason, David didn't seem to notice or care.

"Oh. Well, I just wanted to let you know, it turns out I've gotta fly out to San Francisco to take care of some stuff for work."

"Oh. Really? When?"

"I leave next Tuesday. I won't be back until December 28th."

Jessie looked at him in shock. "You're gonna be gone for Christmas?"

"Yeah, it looks that way."

"But…this is our first Christmas together. As a married couple."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Quit? Besides, you'll have your family here. You'll be fine. And I'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah, but--"

"Jessie, I really don't have the time for this. Or the patience. Just deal with it, okay?"

As David walked out, obviously showing no concern for his wife's feelings, Jessie began to find herself almost…relieved that he wasn't going to be around. Then she immediately felt guilty. He was her husband. She shouldn't be happy when he's away, should she?

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The following Tuesday, as Jessie walked into her mother's house, she was greeted by one of her favorite smells. The cinnamon potpourri her mother would always have out during Christmas time. She inhaled the sweet scent as she called out for her mom.

"In the kitchen!" yelled Karen.

"Hey mom." Jessie greeted Karen with a hug.

"Hey. Did you just come from the airport?"

"Yeah. David's flight left half an hour ago."

Karen looked at her daughter. She knew something wasn't right. She had known that for quite a while, but wanted to see if maybe it was just a slump Jessie was in. But she could tell it was more serious than that. Christmas was Jessie's favorite time of year and if she looked so distraught during this time, then something was definitely off.

Karen motioned to the stools at the counter as they both sat down.

"Okay Jessie. What's wrong?" asked Karen.

Jessie looked around. "Where's Eli?"

"He's at your dad's helping decorate the tree. You are allowed one subject change and that was it. Now what's going on, sweetie?"

Jessie refused to look her mother in the eye. Not to be rebellious or ungrateful, but because she knew if she did, she'd start to sob uncontrollably. So she looked at the blinking lights around the fireplace in the next room. As she transfixed on the hypnotizing lights, the words just started to flow out.

"I'm not happy, mom."

"I know that, Jess. Why?"

"I just…I think that maybe…I mean, have you ever done something that…you wish you hadn't? But it's kind of a big thing and you can't really take it back? At least not without some severe consequences."

"I've had a few of those events, yes. We all have."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But you're being a little vague. Would you care to elaborate?" But Karen knew what Jessie was getting at. She just wanted Jessie to be able to admit it out loud, so she could hear it for herself. Admitting is the first step. Trite, but very true.

Jessie could feel the lump in her throat getting bigger as she turned to Karen. There was no sugarcoating this. There was no beating around the bush. Her voice trembled as she answered her mom.

"I just think I made a really big mistake in marrying David."

Karen let those words digest for a moment. She was prepared to hear them, but didn't want to react too quickly.

Jessie continued as she started balling. "And I'm sorry, mom. I'm so sorry. I know you and dad put a lot of money into the wedding and I really don't want to let you down. And I don't want you to think I'm a failure…."

"Jessie, that's impossible. Why would we ever think you're a failure?"

"Because, I've been married what? Four months? And I can't even make it work."

Karen's heart grew heavy as she saw the tears streaming down her daughter's face. She swiftly wrapped Jessie up in a hug and consoled her daughter.

"Jessie, you are not a failure. And you're not letting us down. And who cares about the money?" Karen pulled back to look her daughter in the eyes. "Listen to me. We get one life. And that's it. You have to do what makes you happy and seeing as how you're crying like this, obviously you're not happy. In this life, I believe that everyone is entitled to two or three really big, monumental mistakes. Without them, how would we ever learn to appreciate what we get right in life? And Jessie, this is only one mistake for you. You're allowed two more. And since you're such an amazing person, you may even be allowed three more."

Jessie looked at her mom and had never been more grateful to her than at that moment. She found Karen's words very comforting and reassuring. And it made things a little easier knowing that her mother would be on her side if she decided to end things with David. Jessie didn't say anything in response. She simply cried and allowed her mother to hold her and comfort her once more.

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Karen and Jessie didn't speak of their conversation for the rest of the week. They both knew that eventually they would discuss it again, but Christmas wasn't the time to do so.

It was finally Christmas Eve and Jessie was now at the Manning house trying to guide Eli and Grace as they try to straighten the Christmas tree, which Zoe had so clumsily run into. Jessie tilted her head, but the tree was still slightly askew. She was in the middle of giving them directions on which way to move it when the doorbell rang. And at that, Grace and Eli's tree director was gone. She had sprinted to the door, pulled it open and immediate greeted Katie with an excited hug.

"Hey!" exclaimed Jessie.

"Hey yourself. Merry Christmas!"

Jessie started wiping the snow off of Katie's jacket as she came into the house, then finally gave up and just took the jacket off.

"Wow, you must be freezing," said Jessie.

"Well, I was but man alive it's warm in here!"

"Hey Katie," yelled Eli as he was still trying to adjust the tree.

Katie watched Eli, knowing full well what he was trying to attempt, but the smartass in her just wouldn't die. "Hey Eli. Uh…you know…that tree looks crooked."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed."

"Yeah, it's leaning to the left."

"Oh, well thanks for pointing that out," replied Eli.

"Oh don't mention it. I'm here to help."

Eli and Katie were having one of their legendary stare-downs. And as always, Katie won. Eli shook his head and smiled.

"Really. I've missed this," he said.

"I know you have."

Jessie pulled Katie over to the couch and sat down. Despite the awkward moment between them the last time they saw each other, it was still as if nothing had happened and no time had passed. Awkward moments were few and far between with these two. Katie had temporarily forgotten about how hurt she was when Jessie didn't call her. Just looking into Jessie's expressive eyes was enough to melt away any animosity she had. Katie had been looking forward to this visit for a while. She was excited, yet incredibly nervous at the same time. Her heart began to nervously race as she sat there trying to listen to Jessie go on about what's been happening in the past month, but Katie couldn't quite seem to calm her nerves. She started smiling half way through Jessie's story, causing Jessie to pause mid-sentence.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what?'" asked Katie.

"You're smiling."

"Oh my God! I am? Oh, I'm so sorry, Jessie. Smiling? On Christmas eve? In your presence? I'm sorry. I can't even look at you. I must hang my head in shame."

"Okay, okay Miss Drama Queen. Is mockery all you know?"

"What can I say? I'm fluent in sarcasm," said Katie. "And I was smiling just because I missed you. Aren't I allowed to miss you?"

Katie reached her hand out and placed on Jessie's hand. Jessie immediately looked down as she felt her entire body shift. In that one touch, she had become completely relaxed. It took a moment for her to register that Karen was calling her.

"Jess, could you help me in the kitchen real quick?"

Jessie looked at Katie, who was still smiling at her. She slowly pulled her hand away and went into the kitchen to help her mother. Katie took a deep breath and leaned back on the couch. She'd been taking deep breaths constantly for the last few days. Normally, Katie would never allow herself to get this nervous over anything, but whenever Jessie was involved…well…let's just say that the younger girl had a way of bringing Katie to her knees.

Katie nervously fumbled with an envelope she pulled out of her back pocket. Her shaky hands perused the envelope as her fingers ran up and down the creases. Katie had held on to this envelope for seven years…or rather, she had held on to the letter that's inside of it. But now, she decided it was time for Jessie to finally read what Katie had written to her all those years ago. Because those feelings remained the same. If anything they were stronger than before. Katie quickly slipped the letter back into her pocket as Jessie came back into the living room.

"What was that?" asked Jessie.

Katie stared at Jessie, not knowing exactly what to say until finally the words came out.

"It's your present."

To be continued……


	6. Chapter 6

Katie and Jessie spent the rest of the evening talking on the couch. Rick and Lily were in the kitchen wrapping some last-minute gifts and every few minutes they would hear Jessie laughing loudly and uncontrollably. During Jessie's sixth laughing fit, Rick looked over at Lily.

"It's good to hear her laugh again. I haven't heard that in a while."

Lily nodded. "Well, I'm sure it's been hard for her adjusting to married life."

"Yeah. I still don't know about that David kid."

"Rick. He's your son-in-law. When are you going to stop calling him 'that David kid'"?

"When he starts making my daughter laugh like that," replied Rick, as he kissed Lily on the cheek.

Grace and Eli came in through the back door, trying to wipe the snow off their clothes.

"Wow, it's really coming down out there," said Grace.

"Yeah, dad. Hypothermia's about to set in, but don't worry. Your precious light display outside is up and running."

"Well, that deserves some hot chocolate," said Lily as she walked over to the stove.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm actually gonna go to bed. I'm exhausted," said Grace.

"Yeah. I'm pretty beat, too," said Eli. "But I think I'm gonna need an extra blanket. The garage is freezing."

"Oh, I'll get you one. Come on," said Grace as she pulled him toward the living room.

"Goodnight girls," said Eli, as they passed by Jessie and Katie and headed up the stairs.

"Um…Eli? Why are you going upstairs with Grace?" asked Jessie, teasingly.

Eli looked around. "Uh…she's…I mean, I'm…she's getting me a blanket."

"Oh, and that insurmountable amount of work requires TWO people?" Katie decided to join in on the fun.

Grace shot them both a look and glanced back at Eli. "Don't mind them. When they're together, they have the combined age of a 10-year-old."

Katie and Jessie started giggling and went back to their conversation. Meanwhile, Eli stood at the bottom of the staircase looking at Grace. Grace was trying to read the grin across his face. Eli looked up at the ceiling and then back at Grace. Grace looked up to see what Eli was looking at and saw a piece of mistletoe hanging over them. She looked over and saw that Jessie and Katie were deep in conversation. Eli slowly leaned in and just as Grace was about to close her eyes, Zoe appeared at the top of the stairs.

"What are you guys doing?"

Immediately, Eli pulled away. "Um…nothing. You know, Grace, I should be fine without an extra blanket. Thanks anyway. Have a good night." He quickly headed towards the garage and didn't dare turn around. He didn't want anyone to see his face was bright red with embarrassment.

"Good night," said Grace, as she headed up to her room with Zoe following her.

Katie and Jessie had just witnessed this entire exchange and started giggling again.

"So are those two EVER gonna hook up?" asked Katie, still laughing.

"Ew. My brother and my step-sister? Please don't ever say that again. I mean, it's obvious there's something there, but the thought of them actually doing something about it…just…eww," said Jessie.

The girls were silent for a moment, just looking at each other. Taking in the sight of each other until Jessie's curiosity finally got the best of her.

"So…when do I get to open that present that you so slyly slipped back into your pocket?"

"Tomorrow," replied Katie.

"Why tomorrow?"

"Because tomorrow is Christmas. That's generally when you open presents." Katie didn't have the nerve to tell Jessie that she wasn't ready to give it to her just yet. This "present" could easily break their relationship and Katie wanted at least one more night of happiness with Jessie before any real drama set in.

"Well, then I want it first thing tomorrow morning. I'm waking up at 4am just to open it."

"Well, I'm NOT waking up at 4 in the morning just to drive it over here to you, so you're just gonna have to wait." She prodded her friend in the ribs.

Jessie elbowed her friend back and as they started another one of their famous rounds of play-fighting, Lily walked in.

"It looks like you won't be driving anywhere, actually, Katie. I just heard that they pretty much have most of the roads closed down from the snowstorm. Looks like you're staying here tonight. I'll get you some blankets for the couch," said Lily.

"Well, she could take my room," Jessie interjected. "And I'll just stay on the couch."

"No," protested Katie. "That's okay, Jess. I'm fine with the couch. Really. I like sleeping by the fireplace. It'll really make it feel like Christmas."

As Lily went to get the blankets, Jessie found herself watching Katie's face as the firelight illuminated the contours of her skin. She'd always known Katie was a striking girl. And Jessie had even made it known to Katie from time to time. But now, she could see that striking girl had become an even more striking young woman. She didn't realize she had been grinning at Katie for the past few minutes. She just allowed herself to be enthralled by this woman sitting across from her on the couch. And she allowed this woman to stare right back at her, capturing every move she made, every blink of her eye, every shift of her legs. Jessie suddenly felt flush. She took a deep breath, which brought her back to reality.

"Are you okay?" asked Katie.

Jessie nodded, still catching her breath, she kept her gaze on Katie, searching her eyes, looking for the courage to say what she was feeling. "Yeah. It's just…sometimes I forget to breathe…when I'm around you."

Immediately, Jessie shyly looked away. She noticed the fire in the fireplace was getting low, so walked over to put another piece of wood in it. "So, you're gonna stay, right?"

Katie, still smiling to herself, responded. "Yeah, I'll just call my parents and let them know I won't be home tonight. I'm sure they'll understand."

Jessie looked back at Katie. "No. I mean you're gonna stay in Evanston, right? I mean, for good this time? Or at least for a while?"

Katie pondered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it."

Once the fire rekindled, Jessie turned to face Katie. The flames made the older girl appear even more beautiful than before, if that was possible. "I really think you should stay. I'd like you to be around."

The two girls were immobile. They just stayed there, staring deeply at each other. It seemed like nothing was able to break this gaze. Jessie could feel herself getting light-headed, as she had to remind herself to breathe once again. Katie feel chills up and down her entire body, even though the fire warmed up the entire room. Jessie opened her mouth to say something, but Lily interrupted the moment as she walked in with the blankets and pillows.

"Here you go, Katie. These should be enough. And I brought you some pajama's. They're Grace's. And if you need anything at all, well…you pretty much already know where everything is, so make yourself at home. Goodnight, girls. Don't stay up too late. It's almost midnight," said Lily as she headed up the stairs.

"Good night, Jessie!" yelled Rick from upstairs.

"Good night, dad!"

Jessie turned back to face Katie. "I guess we should get some sleep."

Katie nodded and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Jess."

Jessie returned the smile as the slowly made her way up the stairs. "Merry Christmas, Katie."

Two hours later, Jessie was lying awake in her bed in the attic. She had tried to fall asleep, but couldn't. Thoughts kept creeping into her mind. Thoughts of Katie. It was always Katie. Even when she tried to force herself to think of other things, like David, she was unsuccessful. She couldn't sleep knowing that Katie was downstairs, just two floors beneath her. It had been two hours since they said goodnight and Jessie already missed her. She missed her face, her eyes, her smell, her laughter. Jessie missed the way she felt when she was around Katie. It was a feeling that became more and more apparent recently because when Jessie was apart from Katie, she felt empty. Like the most important part of her was missing. She wanted to go downstairs. She wanted sneak her way down to the living room and just watch Katie as she slept. She wanted to feel her skin just one more time. As Jessie thought about this, she pulled the covers over her head in shame. She was beginning to sound like a stalker. And the more she thought about this, the more awake she became. She turned to her side and closed her eyes, trying once again to force herself to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Katie was having just as much difficulty falling asleep. She stared at the ceiling, unable to get out of her head the fact that Jessie was two floors above her, probably fast asleep. She kept thinking about that look they shared just before they said goodnight. The way Jessie was looking at her, shook Katie to her core. She couldn't get those eyes out of her head. Jessie's eyes, which had held Katie captivated for the last seven years. It never failed. All Jessie had to do was look at her and Katie would just melt. As these thoughts kept running through her mind, she threw the covers off of her, stood up and walked over to the stairs. She wanted to go to Jessie. She wanted to walk up to the attic and climb into bed with her, but something was stopping her. She knew better. She reminded herself that Jessie was married and she didn't want to get in the way of what Jessie wanted. So she walked back to the couch, pulled the covers over her, and laid back down. She took a few slow, deep breaths and allowed her mind to relax until she finally fell asleep.

Jessie opened her eyes once more. It had been 20 minutes since her last attempt at falling asleep. She realized there was no way sleep would find her tonight, so she got out of bed and began to pace the floor. She couldn't explain this yearning she was having toward Katie. All she knew is that it was growing stronger by the minute and if she didn't do something about it soon, she'd slowly go insane. Jessie was torn. Caught in an endless struggle between her head and her heart. There's no way her head could have won this round. Her feelings for Katie were just too strong, so she followed her heart and slowly snuck her way downstairs.

When she reached the living room, she saw Katie sleeping peacefully on the couch. The fire was slowly burning down in the fireplace, but it still brought just enough light to Katie's face. Jessie was spellbound. She slowly knelt in front of the couch, taking in the sight of Katie sleeping there. She reached her hand out and gently touched Katie's long hair, allowing her fingers to follow the strands down to the older girl's shoulder. She slowly brought her hand to Katie's face and began to caress her cheek. Jessie felt as though she were about to burst. Because in this moment, this one moment, while watching Katie sleep, while caressing her skin, while breathing in her radiating beauty, Jessie finally came to the realization that she was in love with Katie. Desperately, passionately, madly in love with her. Deep down, she had always known it, but for some reason she had fought it. For seven years she fought these feelings and now they all came rushing through her like a freight train. She smiled faintly and her hand started to tremble as Jessie slowly leaned in and joined her lips with Katie's. She slowly and gently moved her lips against Katie's, while euphoria was quickly setting in. Jessie had never felt anything like this before. She wanted this feeling to last forever.

Katie, who was still asleep, had finally begun to stir. Her eyes were still closed, but she felt something come alive inside of her. She felt her heart begin to pound faster as her whole body began to awaken. Something good was happening. Something indescribable, and it felt amazing. She began to feel something very stimulating against her lips and as she opened her eyes, she thought she was dreaming. Jessie was kissing her. Deeply. Fervently. Katie didn't care if it was a dream, she took this opportunity to kiss back. She felt Jessie's soft lips against hers and eagerly pulled her in closer. Both girls were now fully awake and fully aware of what their bodies were telling them. This kiss was electric, sending a charge through both their bodies. Jessie slowly pulled away and the two girls just looked at each other. Jessie was still kneeling in front of the couch as she looked intensely at Katie. Jessie was simply entranced by Katie's exoticism. At that moment, she knew that, while that one miraculous kiss was amazing, it simply was not enough. Jessie leaned over and pressed her lips against Katie's once more. Katie freely accepted this gesture and found herself completely overwhelmed when Jessie climbed on the couch and lay on top of her. At that moment, Katie's body was feeling sensations it had never felt before with anyone. At first, she was wary about doing what she really wanted to do, but once Jessie was on top of her, Katie threw all caution to the wind and started moving her hands up and down Jessie's body. As the kiss intensified, Katie allowed her hands to discover every inch of Jessie's smooth back. As she brought her hands up to Jessie's neck, pulling her in and parting her lips with her tongue, Jessie began to whimper with pleasure. Their tongues moved together, heightening the sensation each girl was feeling.

Jessie quickly got rid of the intrusive blankets that were keeping their bodies from really touching each other as she allowed her legs to entwine with Katie's. Jessie ran her hand along Katie's shoulder and collarbone as she began to pant heavily, growing dizzy with each movement of Katie's hand on her back. Their bodies came to life while exchanging heat with one another. That, combined with the heat from the fire, caused little beads of sweat to form on their foreheads, but neither girl seemed to care. They were both lost in each other. Both girls softly pulled back and their eyes fixated on each other. They were both breathing heavily as Jessie's hand slowly made it's way up Katie's shirt and she began to delicately stroke her stomach. Jessie wanted to savor this moment. For the first time in a long time, she felt whole. She felt a pair of eyes staring back at her with so much love and passion. She felt an aching within her that had finally been soothed. Soothed by Katie. Katie looked up at Jessie, still trying to comprehend the fact that this was really happening. That Jessie was in her arms, willingly and readily. Her body was taking control over her mind. She looked up at the forbidden desire on top of her and had to have those lips on hers one more time. As their lips collided once again and Jessie's hands gradually made their way down and gripped Katie's hips, Katie let out a moan which, in turn, drove Jessie wild. Both girls tried to be quiet, so as not to wake anyone up, but may not have been as quiet as they thought. They heard someone open a door upstairs and both girls bolted up, trying to catch their breaths. They listened intently as they heard footsteps walking to the bathroom and finally from the bathroom back to the bedroom they came out of. Then they heard the door close.

Jessie looked at Katie with half smile and a bewildered look. "I guess I should go back and get some sleep."

Katie, who was left speechless yet again, nodded.

Jessie whispered. "But we'll continue this tomorrow."

Katie smiled. Finally able to speak, she whispered, "It IS tomorrow."

Jessie smiled and leaned in for one more kiss. "Good night."

"Good night."

Katie watched as Jessie made her up the stairs. Then she looked out the window and could see a hint of daylight on the horizon. She lay back down, closed her eyes, and fell asleep dreaming of the moment she could kiss Jessie again.

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 7

I borrowed one line from Tegan and Sara. Hope u all don't mind. It's just such a good line.

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Jessie opened her eyes looked over to see daylight streaming through the window. She rolled over and looked at the clock: 7:30am. It was Christmas morning. She closed her eyes and stretched, trying to wake herself up. For some reason, she just couldn't stop smiling. Her mind kept recalling the explosive events that had transpired between her and Katie last night. She felt giddy. Her stomach was churning, almost dancing every time she would breathe in. She was nervous, but it was definitely a good kind of nervous. She sat straight up and by this point was wide awake. The pure excitement she was feeling had taken away whatever fatigue she had when she first woke up. For the first time in what felt like years, Jessie felt truly happy. She felt like she could honestly say without hesitation that she was sincerely content with everything at this exact moment. And all it took was for her to finally admit and accept her feelings for Katie. By now, she couldn't hold her anticipation back any longer. She had to go down stairs to see Katie. It was cold once Jessie got out of bed, but she didn't bother grabbing her robe. She was in too much of a hurry rush down stairs. She forgot what this felt like. She felt like a kid again on Christmas morning, waking up early and running out to see what would be waiting for her in the living room. Only this time, she knew. It was Katie. And she knew it was better than any Christmas present she had ever gotten.

Once she hit the top of the stairs on the second floor, she could hear two people talking downstairs. One of the voices she heard was Katie's. She would know that voice anywhere. Anytime she heard it, Jessie would just light up. She didn't know who Katie was talking to, but she could only assume it was Eli. She eagerly bounded down the stairs, as she heard the voices grow louder. As she neared the bottom of the stairs, she was greeted with a shy smile from Katie, who was standing in front of the fireplace. Jessie stayed planted on the bottom step, holding onto the railing. She was frozen, forgetting where she was at that moment because all she could see was Katie, who looked absolutely beautiful this morning. Jessie smiled back at Katie.

"Hey!"

Katie nodded, coyly. "Hey."

Jessie could tell something was off. She thought Katie would be more excited to see her. Maybe she was a little naïve to think that Katie would come running up to her and throw her arms around her. Or maybe Katie didn't remember what had happened between them last night. Or maybe she was upset about it. All these questions began to cloud Jessie's thoughts as she began to feel the slightest tinge of regret. Jessie shook those notions out of her head and finally acknowledged Eli, who was sitting on the couch talking to Katie.

"Hey Eli," said Jessie, as she maintained her position on the bottom step.

"Eli? Wow, Jess. I'm kind of insulted."

Jessie's breath caught in her throat as David stood up from the couch and turned around to face her.

"David. I---I thought you were in San Francisco."

"I was. But I felt bad about leaving you over Christmas, so I thought I'd cut my trip short and surprise you." As Jessie walked towards the living room, he came around the couch and gave her a hug. As Jessie's chin rested on his shoulder, she looked over at Katie, who looked right back at her and just shrugged. Jessie could see Katie's eyes were filled with confusion and helplessness, which is exactly what Jessie was feeling at this moment. Jessie just looked at Katie in awe. Her mouth was slightly open as if to say 'I don't know' as she shook her head and shrugged.

She remained in that half-hearted embrace with David until he finally pulled away. "You don't seem too excited to see me."

"Oh, I am. I just…I mean I just woke up and I guess I'm just overwhelmed right now. What time did you get here?" Jess asked, as she looked back over at Katie in wonderment.

"About an hour ago. Katie here was kind enough to let me in."

Jessie looked back and forth between David and Katie. "So you two have just been….talking this whole time?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah. I woke up around 6. I couldn't get back to sleep. I guess it's just all the excitement…you know…from the holidays and everything."

Katie's eyes were smoldering as she looked at Jessie. She wanted exactly was Jessie wanted: to wake up this morning and hold onto her and kiss her, just as she did last night.

She had to touch Jessie. Even if it was just for a moment, she had to feel her once more, so she walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"By the way, good morning. Merry Christmas," said Katie, as she tightly held on to Jessie. Neither girl wanted to let go of this embrace. Jessie took a deep breath and tried to memorize this feeling of Katie in her arms. She had no idea when she'd be able to feel that again. Both girls knew if they held on a second longer, it might seem suspicious, so they reluctantly let go. As they pulled apart, their eyes remained fixated on each other. Jessie tried to silently express to Katie that she was sorry. That she wanted to hold her. That she wished David had never shown up. Katie gave Jessie a knowing nod. She was aware of exactly was Jessie was feeling. But they both knew there was nothing to be done about it at this moment.

"Boy Jess, I can see why you speak so highly of this girl. Katie's led quite an interesting life," David chimed in.

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, she's traveled to a lot of places. Met some interesting people," replied Jessie.

"Yeah, I can't believe it took us this long to really talk. Some of her stories were quite amusing," said David.

Katie walked passed Jessie and whispered, "Yeah, he almost laughed a couple times. Shocking."

Jessie started to chuckle at Katie's statement, but caught herself before David could see it.

"David? Well, hi! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Lily, as she and Rick started walking down the stairs.

"Well, I thought I'd surprise everyone and be here for Christmas."

"That's great! Jessie, isn't that fantastic?" asked Lily.

"Oh…yeah. I was totally surprised." Jessie plastered on a not-so-genuine smile for appearances sake.

"Well, I didn't want my wife to be alone on Christmas," said David.

"She's not alone," protested Katie. "She's got her whole family here. Everyone who cares about her."

That may have come off a little stronger than Katie expected it to. She didn't even know where that came from. But she knew the story behind his fight with Jessie and really didn't appreciate him trying to come off as the good guy in all this.

"Well, yeah, I know that. But….." David didn't know what to say. He was thrown off by Katie's remark. He looked over and saw Rick. "Oh, hey Mr. Sammler. Merry Christmas."

Rick looked David up and down. "Yeah. Hi."

Lily nudged Rick in the ribs.

"Oh…yeah…how are you, David?" asked Rick as he went to shake his hand. "Glad you could fit us into your busy schedule."

Once the awkwardness subsided, Eli, Grace and Zoe joined everyone in the living room and everyone began to open their presents.

"So Jessie, what did David get you?" asked Zoe.

"Oh…uh…I don't know actually," replied Jessie.

David spoke up. "Well, actually. I didn't really have time to get her anything." He looked over at Jessie and put his hand on her leg. "Sorry, sweetie. I've just been so bogged down with work and everything. I was gonna get you something in California, but I just didn't have time."

Jessie lowered her head. No so much from disappointment, but more from embarrassment. She wasn't let down She wasn't even surprised that David didn't get her anything. She was just uncomfortable with the fact that she married someone who would forget to get her a Christmas gift. She just nodded. "That's okay. Don't worry about it."

Rick looked at David in disbelief. He was fuming and Lily knew it. He stood up and began to walk into the kitchen. "Excuse me for a moment. I need some coffee."

Lily went after him. "Rick, what's the matter."

"Did you see that look on Jessie's face? She was crushed!"

"I know, Rick, but you have to calm down."

"No! That kid has made my daughter so unhappy and she can't see that. That's what's frustrating. She just accepts all of his stupid excuses."

"Then let her accept them. At least for now. Just let this go for now. It's Christmas. But you need to talk to her. She's obviously not happy and you need to talk to her about it. Let her know that it's okay to talk about it. But for now, just don't make a scene, okay?"

Rick took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Okay, you're right."

They walked back into the living room and everyone finished opening their presents. Meanwhile, Jessie and Katie would catch each other's glances every once in a while. They made sure to keep the looks short, but they were full of intensity. After a while, it got to the point where both girls knew they had to be alone together. Katie got up and caught Jessie's eye as she walked into the kitchen. Jessie soon followed her. Among the pandemonium of opening presents, no one really noticed they had left. And David had stepped out for a cigarette; a habit he had recently taken up that Jessie found revolting.

Katie pulled herself up and sat on the counter in the kitchen while Jessie leaned against the counter, facing her, but just far enough away to make things look innocent.

"So…" Katie began.

"Yeah…."

"Last night was…."

"Yeah…." Jessie smiled and nodded. "Yeah….it was."

"But now…."

"David."

"Yeah. David," repeated Katie.

Jessie looked down at her feet. She could feel her body struggling to stay where it was. She wanted to lean forward so badly. She wanted grab onto Katie's back and pull herself into her, but she kept her hands on the counter. She kept her body at a safe enough distance from Katie.

"It was nice of him to cut his trip short and show up today," said Jessie.

Katie looked at Jessie perplexed. "Well…yeah, but he shouldn't have left in the first place. And then he showed up empty handed."

"Yeah, he did. But his intentions were good. I mean, that was really sweet of him. It makes me think maybe--"

"What?" Katie was dreading what Jessie was about to say next. "It make you think what, Jessie?"

"I don't know. It makes me think that maybe he and I can work things out."

Katie jumped off of the counter, startling Jessie. She walked toward Jessie and gently grabbed her arms.

"Jessie, tell me your not serious. Please tell me you're not serious."

"What?"

"You don't love him!" Katie was speaking forcefully, but trying to keep her voice down.

"I'm married to him," insisted Jessie.

"But you don't love him!"

Jessie was silent for a moment, unable to look Katie in the eyes. Finally she whispered, "I know."

"So don't go back with him. Tell him it's over."

"I can't."

"Why not?" Katie's face was dangerously close to Jessie's. Jessie could hear the desperation in Katie's voice and she could feel the older girl's hands shaking as they gripped her arms.

"I have to make this work. I have to try."

"Why?"

"Because. I've never really been good at anything. I have to at least try to be good at marriage. I can't just give up on it."

Katie was dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me? You've never been good at anything? Jess, what about your music? Your singing? You aren't good at it, you're great at it. And you know it. You can make it as a singer. And I can't believe you can't see that.'

"David doesn't think I could."

"I know he doesn't! And you're still thinking of going back with him?"

"I don't know. I just…."

Katie tried to regain her composure. She loosened her grip on Jessie's arms and brought her in even closer. She looked the blonde up and down. She wanted to make her see how amazing she was. Katie just couldn't understand how Jessie's self-esteem could be at such an all-time low. She wanted this girl to know how incredible she really was. She didn't want her to go back to David. Last night, Jessie was finally in her arms, finally willing to accept her feelings for Katie and Katie wasn't ready to lose that.

"Jessie, leave him. Please. I need you to not be with him anymore. You deserve better. You deserve someone who makes you laugh, someone who will be there for you whenever you need them. I need you to leave him, Jess. I need you to do that because…because I'm in love with you."

Katie could hear Jessie's breath grow heavier. Jessie couldn't tear hear eyes away from Katie. She couldn't even blink.

Katie continued. "I've been in love with you from the moment I met you. Even before that. The moment I heard your voice on that stage for that play you guys did back in high school. I heard that voice and then I saw your face…and I just knew. And then when I met you, everything just seemed to click…to fall into place. And every time you spoke, I fell in love with you even more. And with every look you gave me, I fell in love with you even more. And with every touch, every hug, every whisper…I just fell. I'm completely in love with you. I have been for 7 years. And I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you so many times and I'm sorry I didn't. I just didn't want to ruin our friendship, because what we have…this friendship that we have…it's so great. It's such a big thing and I would never want anything to destroy it. But I'm telling you this now because you deserve to know the truth. And you deserve to know that there's someone out there who loves you and adores the way you deserve to be adored."

Jessie remained silent. Every word out of Katie's mouth was slowly sinking into her. But she wasn't ready to talk. She didn't know why, but her brain was not letting her mouth move. She could vaguely hear the voices coming from the living room, but all she could focus on was Katie's mouth as the words so poetically came pouring out.

Katie could see she wasn't getting much of a reaction, so she pulled Jessie even closer to her. Once again, their faces were only centimeters apart as she continued.

"I want to make it up to you. I want to make up to you all those moments I wasn't there and I should have been. I'm sorry. Please understand, that's why I had to leave. It broke my heart to say goodbye to you every time, but I knew if I stayed, I might say something I'd regret and then our friendship would be over and I just couldn't have that. And I want to make up to you for all those times that David treated you like crap. Because no one should ever treat you that way. And if you give me the chance, I swear I'll make up for every mistake that HE made. Because maybe if I had said something to you sooner, you wouldn't be with him. And you wouldn't have felt that pain from all those times he put you down and made you cry. I want to love you. I want to touch you. I want to worship your entire body. I want to grow old with you, Jessie. On a ranch…in Montana. I want to buy you that ranch and just live out the rest of my days being with you. I've been so many places trying find any place I might fit in, but the only place I fit is with you. And the more I traveled, the more I came to realize…you're the reason I was born."

Before Katie could get any reaction out of Jessie, she brought her hands up to Jessie's face. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

She pulled Jessie in as their lips collided once more. Jessie let go of all her inhibitions and graciously accepted the kiss, not even thinking about the fact that her entire family was in the next room and could walk in at any minute. She didn't even take into consideration that David could walk in and catch them, as well. She just let Katie guide her lips into an insatiable, mind-blowing kiss. The kiss was equal parts passion, desire, lust, love, longing, and acceptance. The kiss was so overpowering, Katie lunged forward and lifted Jessie onto the counter, next to the sink. Jessie's head banged into the cabinets above, but she didn't care. Katie slowly reached her hand up to the back of Jessie's head and cradled it, while bringing Jessie in closer, deepening the kiss. Jessie's hands were wrapped behind Katie's neck as Katie's other hand slowly made its up Jessie's shirt. As that stray hand found Jessie's breast, both girls let out a moan as Katie began to slowly massage it, letting each motion slowly linger, bringing Jessie an indescribable feeling of pleasure.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps heading towards the kitchen.

"Jessie! Are you in here?" David's voice was approaching quickly.

Jessie rapidly pulled her lips away from Katie's kissed, and lightly pushed Katie away. She felt horrible seeing Katie's stunned look, but really didn't want David walking in to see that.

"Yeah! I'm in here."

David appeared in the doorway. "Well, come back out here."

"I will. Just give us a minute, okay?"

"Fine." David shrugged and headed back to the living room.

Katie looked at Jessie, her body still reeling from what had just happened. She wanted to continue where they left off, but something told her that wasn't going to happen.

"So…I guess we should get back in there," said Jessie.

"Oh my God," whispered Katie.

"What?"

"You're not gonna do it."

"What do you mean."

"You're not gonna break it off with him, are you? You're gonna go back with him," stated Katie.

"Katie, I…"

"Oh my God." Katie shook her head and started to panic. "I just made a complete ass of myself."

"No, no you didn't." Jessie walked over towards her.

"Yeah, I did."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I get it, okay? I get it. I love you and you don't love me back. I get it. I suppose it's just the cross I'll have to bear."

"No. I'm glad you to told me that. Really, I just…I don't know what to do."

"Leave him."

"I have to try to make this work."

"Why? Because you have to be good at something?" asked Katie.

Jessie nodded.

Katie took Jessie's hand, leaned in and whispered, "Maybe I would have been something you'd be good at."

Jessie looked at her, not knowing what to say. Katie let go of Jessie's hand and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the letter and handed it to Jessie.

"Here. I wrote it 7 years ago, but it's managed to stand the test of time. Every word is still true." She pulled Jessie in for one last hug. "Merry Christmas, Jess."

Katie turned around and headed out the back door.

"Where are you going?" asked Jessie.

Katie stopped and turned around. "I don't know. Ireland, maybe? I could use some Guinness right about now."

"But I don't want you to go," pleaded Jessie.

"You obviously need to figure stuff out. Call me if you need me. You know I'll always answer." And with that, Katie walked out the door.

Jessie watched the door close and looked down at the envelop Katie had given her. She sat down at the kitchen table, opened the envelop and began to read the letter that Katie had finally gotten the courage to give to her.

To Be continued……………


	8. Chapter 8

'The letter. Where did the letter go?' thought Jessie, as she went digging through her night stand drawer. Panic was beginning to set in. She had just put it there the night before. Her hands felt their way around inside until finally, she found it. A feeling of relief washed over her as she lay on the bed and read it for the 43rd time. It had been two weeks since Christmas. Two weeks since Katie had given her the letter. Two weeks since Katie walked out the door. Two weeks since Jessie had even spoken to her. That was the last she saw of Katie and the last time they talked. After Jessie read the letter that day, she wanted to run out and catch Katie before she hopped that plane to Ireland. She wanted to walk out on David and let Katie make her happy for the rest of her life. She wanted to go with Katie and travel the world with her. But she didn't. She stayed behind. She thought she was making the right decision by working out her marriage, but she just didn't know what to do after Katie had told her everything. And that moment of indecision has been haunting her for these past two weeks. She picked up the phone to call Katie at least 15 times a day, but honestly didn't know what she'd say to her. She just wanted to hear her voice, ask her to come home again. She wanted to apologize for not going after her like she should have. But if she called her, Katie would no doubt ask about David. And Jessie would have to tell her that they were still together, even though not much had changed in the relationship. As she re-read the letter, Jessie let Katie's written words wash over her. She was in another place and didn't hear David come into the room.

"What are you reading?"

Jessie jumped up. "Oh, uh…it's just a letter. From Katie. She's in Ireland now."

"Wouldn't a postcard be cheaper?" asked David as he went rummaging through the closet looking for a shirt.

"She had a lot to say."

David didn't respond. Jessie took this moment to quietly slide the letter back into her drawer.

"So I have another show coming up. Next week. Do you want to go?" asked Jessie.

David turned around and looked at her. "Another one? Jess, I thought you were over this music thing."

"No, actually I'm not. Eli was actually talking about me joining his band."

"I know. We've talked about this before. It's just not a good idea," replied David, as he changed his shirt.

"He thinks I'd be really good. His whole band is coming to watch the show. It's sort of an audition, I guess."

"Jessie, how many times have we been over this? This music thing is just not gonna happen for you, okay? I just don't want you to set yourself up for disappointment."

Jessie was ready to throw something at David. Anything. She thought her book on the night stand would do some damage, but instead, she took a deep breath and tried to control the tears welling in her eyes. "I think it really could happen. I'm good, David. You just don't want to admit it for whatever moronic reason. But I'm actually really good. Maybe if you took the time to come see me play next week, you'd agree."

"I'm out of town next week. Work…again."

Jessie just stared at him in disbelief as he walked out to the living room. She followed him out there.

David could see she was not done with this conversation, but he was growing increasingly annoyed with her protests. He turned around to face her. "Besides, even if I was in town, I wouldn't go. Because you're not going to play next week."

Jessie was almost in shock over what she just heard. "What?"

"You're not playing."

"Okay, you did NOT just tell me what to do."

"No, I just told you what not to do. And you're not playing!" David started shouting.

"Yes I am! I don't know why you're so against this, but I don't even care anymore. You obviously don't give a shit about me, so why should I care what you think."

Jessie could see David's face turn red. She knew his anger was boiling up. He charged at her, raising his hand as though he were about to hit her. Jessie quickly retreated. She was scared. Very scared, but ready to block any punch he may throw. Instead, David stopped himself. He backed up, turned and walked out the door, slamming it on his way out. Jessie was frozen in fear for a moment until she finally let out a sigh of relief. She looked at her hands. They were shaking. She knew David had a temper, but it had never been this bad before. It had never gotten to the point where he almost hit her. Jessie knew she would never stand for any guy who hit her and was thankful that David had stopped himself. Her hands were still shaking as she fumbled with her phone, dialing the only number she wanted to dial at that moment. She sat down on the couch as the phone rang and ran her fingers along the neck of her guitar, which was leaning against the couch.

"Hello?"

Jessie froze for a moment. Just hearing Katie's voice made her forget about what had just happened.

"Jess? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Hey."

"Hi," said Katie, tentatively.

"I should have called sooner. I really should have."

Katie heard something in Jessie's voice. Something that told her everything was not okay. "Jess, what's wrong?"

"Um…" Jessie's voice was still quivering and her entire body was still shaking. "Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice. How's Ireland?"

Katie wasn't falling for it. "Jess, you're a horrible liar. Something's wrong. What is it? Is it David?"

Jessie answered nervously. "Yeah."

"Did you guys get in another fight?"

"Yeah. I'm so sorry, Katie. I know what this may seem like to you. Like I only call you whenever he and I fight, but I swear that's not the case. It's just that you're the only thing that makes it better."

Katie closed her eyes. She felt the exact same way about Jessie. "I thought you hated me."

"No. God no, I could never hate you, Katie. And I'm sorry I didn't call. I wanted to, I just---"

"It's okay. You're confused. I just made matters worse and complicated things. But what happened with David? Are you okay?"

"I don't know," whispered Jessie.

"Jess, did he hurt you?"

Jessie took a moment to answer, leaving Katie in suspense. Jessie was barely audible when she responded, "Almost."

Katie's head started spinning. Her fists were clenched until her knuckles turned white. "What do you mean almost?"

"He started to, but then left. Katie, I really need you. I know you just left and everything, but I need you here. Please. I just---"

Jessie's voice cut off. Katie listened as she heard David's voice in the background.

"I'm sick of this shit, Jessie!" yelled David as he charged back through the door. Jessie quickly got up from the couch and put the phone on the coffee table without hanging it up.

"Why do you have to argue with everything I say?" asked David, as he headed toward Jessie. Jessie backed away.

"I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just trying to make you see who I am. You never wanted to accept me for who I am. All you cared about was me being your perfect wife."

"You're not performing next week," said David.

"Yes I am!" yelled Jessie.

At that, David charged toward Jessie, but instead of grabbing her, he grabbed her guitar.

"David, what are you doing?" pleaded Jessie.

Without warning, David took Jessie's guitar and smashed it up against the wall. Tiny splints of wood went flying to the ground. He continued smashing it until there was nothing left of the body. Just a bunch of strings dangling from the neck.

"David, what the hell are you doing?!?!" screamed Jessie.

Katie heard everything that was going on. She didn't know what happened, but she knew it was bad and definitely was going to get worse soon. Suddenly she heard a beep and then the phone cut off. She looked at her phone. The battery was dead. She felt completely helpless. Her heart was pounding and she felt like she had to throw up. She ran to get her jacket and bag and ran out the door as fast as she could.

Meanwhile, Jessie was trying to get a grip on what just happened. She was scared of David's behavior, but more angry than anything. They stood there in silence for a couple minutes.

"Why did you do that?"

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me. I told you I had a temper," replied David.

"That's my guitar," said Jessie, who was still in a state of shock.

"Not anymore," said David, coldly.

"You don't understand. That guitar was my livelihood," said Jessie, devastated at seeing it shattered in to a thousand little pieces.

"I should be your livelihood," said David matter-of-factly.

"Well you're not. Not anymore."

"What?!?" screamed David.

"You really think I'm gonna stick around after this? I've given you chance after chance and all you ever did was disappoint me. And now, you've completely shattered the thing that means the most to me."

"You're not leaving," said David.

"Yes I am."

"No you're not!" yelled David, as he came lunging towards Jessie. He grabbed her arms and pushed her back, slamming her up against the wall. Jessie tried to kick him, but he dodged too quickly. She struggled to break free of his hold and tried throwing another kick and a punch, but he shifted his body so she wouldn't hit him. The struggle between the two continued until suddenly, the door burst wide open. This startled David and he let go of Jessie to turn around and see who it was. Katie came charging through the door. She stopped as soon as she was inside and looked at Jessie.

"You okay?" she asked, while trying to catch her breath.

Jessie nodded.

David looked over at Katie.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"Jessie called me. She said she needed me. So here I am." She walked over to Jessie and took her hand. "Come on, Jess. Let's go."

She led Jessie out the door and turned around to face David. "You know, she has a father. And a brother. And a huge family that cares a lot about her. And she has me. If you come near her ever again, I can pretty much guarantee it will be the last thing you do."

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Katie led Jessie through the door of her one-bedroom apartment. The room was dark, so Katie hit the light switch. Neither of them had said a word on the drive over. Jessie looked around. It looked like Katie had been staying there for a while. It was fairly well furnished and even the kitchen looked like it had been used quite a bit. As Jessie continued to look around, Katie scrambled to tidy up the place.

"Sorry. It's a little messy."

Jessie looked at Katie. "I…I thought you were in Ireland."

Katie started folding up an empty pizza box. "Yeah…there was a slight change in plans."

"So you've been living here the whole time? Five minutes away from me?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah."

"Two weeks. You've been in town two weeks, and I never knew?" asked Jessie.

"You never asked."

"But…"

"You told me you didn't want me to leave. So I didn't. I thought maybe there was a chance you'd call me after read the letter, so I stayed a little longer. Then I realized I was low on money, so I got a job as a bartender…at that club you played in last time."

Jessie didn't know what to say. "But…why? I mean, you always leave. Why did you stay?"

Katie threw the pizza box in the trash and leaned up against the dining table. "I'm tired of running. It's getting old. I mean, why would I run away from the only thing I'm ever running TO?"

"So you stayed? For me?"

Katie nodded.

Jessie stepped closer to Katie. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

"But…if you hadn't shown up…I don't what would have happened."

"You could've bested him. You're the black belt, remember? I was just your back-up," stated Katie, as she moved closer to Jessie.

"My mind went blank. He just completely caught me off guard. I can't believe I stayed with a guy that was capable of doing something like that." Jessie's voice began to crack. Suddenly, the situation had all come back to her and she began to weep. Katie ran up and threw her arms around Jessie, comforting her.

"It's okay," whispered Katie. "I've got you."

They stood there, Katie holding on to Jessie as the she cried on her shoulder. Jessie pulled away and looked at Katie. Tears were still streaming down Jessie's face.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for being there."

Katie smiled sweetly back at Jessie as Jessie's tears began to fade away. Katie's arms were still wrapped around the younger girl. They both gazed adoringly into each other's eyes. Jessie felt safe and warm and comforted in Katie's arms. She slowly began to lean in. Katie, in turn, moved her lips slowly towards Jessie's lips, until they were dangerously close to touching. They stayed there for a moment. Jessie feeling Katie's warm breath on her face. This yearning was becoming way too much for Jessie to resist. She closed her eyes and did what she had been longing to do for quite some time….

To be continued….


	9. Chapter 9

Warning: this chapter contains a fair amount of sex. I tried to keep it tasteful. Hopefully i did an okay job at that. If you don't want to read the racy part, just read the first 1/3 of the chapter, as it's somewhat important to the story.

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Jessie's lips burned hungrily into Katie's lips as the girls were absorbed in a rapturous kiss. The sensation of Jesse's smooth lips against hers made Katie feel light-headed and deliriously stimulated. She drew closer to Jessie, intensifying the kiss, allowing her tongue to move slowly across Jessie's lips. Jessie's tongue greeted Katie's as they fell deeper into this moment. Katie's hands moved leisurely around Jessie's waist as she pulled their bodies together. Jessie was indulging in Katie's touch until she realized Katie's hand was making its way up her shirt. Suddenly, Jessie snapped out of her trance and pulled away from their kiss.

"I can't do this," said Jessie, as she backed away from Katie.

Katie had to take a moment to realize what was happening. "Can't do what?"

"This. Whatever this is. I can't," explained Jessie.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" asked Katie, trying not to show her devastation.

Jessie looked down. "No. Well, I don't know. I just…"

"I'm sorry. I just thought you wanted to. I mean, you kissed me, so I thought you wanted me to kiss you back." Embarrassment and rejection were beginning to set in for Katie.

"I did. I do, but…" Jessie paused for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Why didn't you tell me how you felt? Why did you wait all this time? Why did it take you seven years to give me that letter?" asked Jessie.

Katie looked at her hesitantly. "You read it?"

"Of course I read it. I must have read it dozens of times since you gave it to me--"

"Because you didn't say anything about it, so I thought maybe you didn't--"

"I did. I just didn't know what to say," replied Jessie. "Why didn't tell me before?"

"I told you. I didn't want to ruin our friendship," said Katie. "But it's gotten to the point where you're so unhappy…I don't know…I just wanted to be the one who makes you happy, so I told you."

Jessie didn't know what to say. "So you felt that way about me since high school? Since we first met?"

Katie nodded and felt horrible seeing Jessie start to cry.

"Jess, I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have said anything, but I didn't want to keep it from you anymore. Can we just forget about it? Please. Your friendship means more to me than anything." Katie lowered her head, unable to look Jessie in the eyes.

Jessie's tears continued to fall as she looked at Katie. Jessie was trying to choke out her words, but it was difficult with the lump she felt in her throat, so her words came out more like a whisper. "I wish you would have told me sooner."

Katie's head raised up. "What?"

Jessie tried to compose herself and spoke again. "I said I wish you would have told me sooner. About how you feel. Because I wanted you, too. I wanted you so badly and you never knew. And then you left and I never got over you."

Katie was awestruck. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"

"There were so many times, Katie. So many times when I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to touch you. I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I thought it was just a really strong bond between us and nothing more. I convinced myself of that because I never would have thought you felt the same way. Had I known how you felt, I would have admitted it sooner."

Katie leaned back on the dining table. If she didn't have its support, she probably would have fallen down. Her knees were starting to give out from under her. Her mouth was slightly open in shock. "But…I'm telling you now. I mean, now you know. And now I know. So--"

"It's not that simple, Katie. I'm married," Jessie reminded her.

"Yeah, on paper. On paper you're married, Jess, but we both know you're not gonna stay with him. Not after what he did."

"I know. But there are consequences to everything. Every action."

"Will stop with the consequences? You care too much what your family and everyone else thinks! What do you want? Forget about David, forget about your parents, forget about me. What do YOU want, Jessie?"

Jessie looked down. "I don't know."

Katie closed her eyes in anguish. Part of her really thought Jessie would say she wanted her.

Jessie started backing up towards the door. "Look, I'm sorry Katie. I should go. I need to think."

"Where are you going? Not back to David."

"No. No, I'll just go to my mom's."

"Well, let me at least drive you," offered Katie.

"No, I should walk. It'll help me clear my head. I'm sorry. I can't…I just shouldn't be here. Not right now."

"Jessie--"

Katie started walking towards her, but Jessie had already stepped out the door and closed it behind her. Katie stood there, not really knowing what to do. She was alone. Completely alone. She remained standing there just watching the door, waiting for Jessie to come back in. She was hoping it would be like the movies, where she'd come bursting back in two minutes later. But that wasn't the case. The door never opened. Katie just waited, contemplating her next move. Should she just go to sleep and hope that Jessie called the next day? Should she just give up and leave town again? Perhaps head over to Seattle, a city she has yet to visit. Or should she go after Jessie and fight for what she knows could be something great? Katie smiled to herself. She decided on the last option. She was going after Jessie. She grabbed her coat off the chair and ran to the door. As she swung the door open, she stopped in her tracks as she saw Jessie standing there. Both girls just stared at each other until Jessie finally spoke.

"I lied. I do know what I want."

Before Katie could say anything, Jessie rushed up to her and pushed Katie back into the apartment. She kicked the door shut with her foot. She took Katie, spun her around, thrust her up against the door and kissed her without thinking twice. Jessie continued to hold Katie against the door while wildly attacking her lips. Katie had no complaints. At first, Jessie's actions threw her off, but once she realized what was happening, she fully accepted everything Jessie was giving her. The force of Jessie's body against hers caused Katie to drop her coat onto the floor. She brought her hands up to Jessie's face, finding Jessie's lips utterly irresistible. Katie pulled herself away from the door and began pushing Jessie backward until they hit the dining table. The abrupt stop caused their bodies to press up against each other. Katie's mind was reeling. She couldn't believe everything she had been dreaming about for the last seven years was finally coming to fruition. Without breaking the kiss, Katie began to eagerly unbutton Jessie's sweater. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with each button, but once the sweater was on the floor, Katie pulled Jessie even closer to her. Jessie then started to kick off her shoes and Katie followed suit until they were both barefoot.

The kiss continued without being disrupted. Neither girl could pull away from each other. Jessie began to take over as she drove forward, turned around and pressed Katie up against the sliding glass door. Once Jessie was in command again, she began to pull at the hem of the older girl's sweatshirt, eventually pulling it up over Katie's head, revealing the tank top Katie was wearing underneath. For one moment, they broke kiss in order to get the sweatshirt off. Katie looked at Jessie; confusion, wonderment, and passion in her eyes. Jessie looked back at her and smiled. As Katie returned the smile, memories came flooding back to her. Memories of every emotion she felt toward Jessie. Those moments of uncertainty when Katie wanted to tell Jessie how she felt. Moments of clarity, when Katie knew that Jessie was the only one for her. Moments of regret when Katie would leave Jessie after Jessie begged her not to go. At this moment, Katie began to feel all those years of pent up longing, pining, and yearning she felt for Jessie. And she knew she had to take control again right there.

Katie's lips collided with Jessie's once more as she walked forward and put Jessie up against the wall. She made sure to be gentle, after the horrifying experience Jessie had just had with David. She didn't wanted any flashes of that moment coming back to Jessie. Jessie wasn't thinking about the incident with David. She was focused solely on Katie. Katie continued to indulge upon Jessie's lips as she took hold of Jessie's shirt and gradually took it off. She began to slowly move her lips down to Jessie's neck. She had coveted Jessie's soft skin for such a long time, so she took her time moving her lips around her neck and shoulders. Jessie tilted her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, taking pleasure every move Katie made. As Katie's lips continued tantalizing Jessie's skin, Jessie's hands moved down to Katie's hips as she searched for the button on her jeans. She began to unzip Katie's jeans as she brought Katie's lips back to hers. Once the jeans were on the floor, Katie stepped out of them as she brought her hands up to caress Jessie's bare stomach. Jessie tore her lips away from Katie's for a moment. She just wanted to take the time to look Katie up and down. By this point, Katie was only in a tank top and her underwear and the sight of Katie's long legs and exposed skin made Jessie ache for her all the more.

As Jessie brought Katie in for another kiss, she pushed herself away from the wall and moved Katie backward, towards the kitchen. Jessie's hands were still gripping Katie's hips as the kitchen counter broke their momentum. As Jessie lifted Katie onto the counter, the pots and pans that were on the counter came crashing to the ground, clanging loudly against the tile. Neither girl cared. Jessie kicked some of the pots out of her way as she continued kissing Katie. Katie could feel how cold the counter was against her skin, but she didn't care. She used her legs to pull Jessie in closer. Jessie began to pull at the straps on Katie's tank top, uncontrollably craving more of her. Katie's hands moved up and down Jessie's arms. Jessie took Katie's hands and guided them to her jeans, which Katie began to slowly unzip. They broke their kiss once more as Katie hopped off the counter, taking in the sight of Jessie in her bra and underwear. Jessie brushed a few strands of hair out of Katie's face as they stood their mesmerized by each other. Jessie couldn't resist the allure of Katie's eyes. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around Katie. As Katie caught her, they began violently kissing once more as she walked them over towards the couch. Before she could reach the couch, she accidentally knocked over the lamp that was next to it. Both girls just ignored it and continued ravaging each other until Katie slowly lowered Jessie to the ground and began to stroke her hair.

Katie shook her head as she began to speak. "I'm actually out of words. I mean, the only thing that keeps going through my head is 'you're so beautiful.' But I know that's not enough. I feel like I need to say more."

Jessie smiled. "You said more than enough. Trust me. What you said on Christmas…and that letter…that said it all."

"It's still true. Every word," assured Katie.

"I know. And in case you were wondering…I love you, too."

Katie smiled shyly and began to look around. "Wow. We made quite a mess."

Jessie nodded. "Yeah."

"I think if you look closely, you can actually see the path of destruction through the whole apartment," said Katie.

"Well, we haven't covered the WHOLE apartment yet," replied Jessie as she took Katie's hand and led her into the bedroom.

Once they were in the bedroom, Katie had to remind herself to breathe. She was nervous, but did her best not to show it. Katie didn't know why she was so nervous. She wasn't exactly new at this, but this time it was different. Very different. This time, it was Jessie. This was the first time she had ever really WANTED to do this. Every other time was just a distraction…a means of blocking Jessie out of her mind for one moment of peace. But now that this was real and this was happening, Katie couldn't have been happier. All of the agony he had felt over this unrequited love was being wash away by the mere fact the Jessie was standing right there in front of her. She was simply elated. She leaned in to kiss Jessie gently as she lowered her on the bed. Jessie brought her hands up to remove the last of Katie's clothing, as Katie did the same for her. Katie's lips started out at Jessie's mouth, slowly teasing their way down to her neck. She could feel Jessie's breath grow heavier as her tongue ran along Jessie's skin. Katie took her time and slowly explored Jessie's entire body with her lips and tongue. Periodically, she found a spot that would cause Jessie to let out an intoxicating moan. Katie's lips came back to join with Jessie's lips once more as she grabbed for her hand and their fingers entwined. Jessie was taking delight in everything Katie was doing to her.

When she finally felt bold enough, Jessie's other hand began moving up and down Katie's back, caressing her skin. Katie began to exhale heavily at the feeling of Jessie's hand on her. Jessie's hand finally began to travel outside the realm of Katie's back, moving up and down her side and eventually finding their way to Katie's stomach and finally, her breasts. Their hands were still intertwined as Katie began squeezing Jessie's hand harder with each heightening pleasure. Katie couldn't believe everything she was feeling. She had never felt so high in all her life. Jessie was like a drug. Her skin was an addiction. Meanwhile, Jessie felt completely intoxicated. She had no idea that falling in love could feel this good. She had no idea making love could ever feel this good. And she knew now that Katie was the only person she ever wanted to make love to. Jessie pulled her hand away from Katie's as she placed both her hands on Katie's waist. She gently rolled Katie over on her back and began to explore her body. As the night went on, the two continued to make love, slowly and passionately. Between the thirst they had for each other, the taste of each other's skin, the teasing of their hands, and the friction of their bodies, both girls climaxed, holding each other tight as their bodies quivered with pleasure.

Afterward, Katie lay with her head on Jessie's chest, enjoying the sound of Jessie's heart rhythmically beating in her ear.

"Your heart's singing to me," Katie remarked dreamily.

"What's it saying?"

"It's saying… 'you're no longer tired of useless desires.'"

Jessie laughed. "Yeah. That sounds about right." She grabbed Katie's hand and began tracing lines her palm.

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't go. I want you to stay the night with me."

"So now YOU'RE asking ME to stay? Whoa. So this is what it feels like to be on the other end of that."

Katie smiled, knowing Jessie was joking with her. "So you'll stay?"

"The thought of leaving never even crossed my mind," replied Jessie.

"Good. Because I don't think I can move from this position," said Katie as she nuzzled her head on Jessie's shoulder.

Jessie looked down at Katie. "Well that's too bad. Because you're gonna have to move."

"Why? Is my massive fat head causing your shoulder to fall asleep?"

"No," replied Jessie.

"Then why?"

"Because apparently making love to you once isn't enough for me," said Jessie as she brought Katie's lips up to meet hers once more. As the kiss began to intensify, Katie gladly moved from her position to oblige to Jessie's request. After all, Katie always told Jessie she would never deny her anything.

To be continued…..


	10. Chapter 10

Jessie could sense the sunlight streaming through the window as she pulled the blanket up over her head. She was exhausted and didn't feel like getting up at this moment. She reached over to feel for Katie, but soon found that she was the only one in the bed. Her eyes were wide open now as she pulled the covers off of her and looked around. Katie was nowhere to be found. She looked over towards the closet and noticed a suitcase on the floor. Jessie's heart sank. Something must have happened since last night. Jessie was starting to think Katie must have changed her mind somehow and was planning on leaving again. She hastily got out of bed and began to look around the apartment. As she made her way through Katie's place, she noticed the mess was still there from the night before. This brought back memories of what had happened and Jessie, while still uneasy about Katie's sudden disappearance, couldn't help but smile. She glanced over at the front door and spotted a note taped up to it. She was almost paralyzed. She didn't want to move. She was afraid to find out what the letter said. She didn't think she could stand a rejection letter. Not after all that had happened. Jessie took a deep breath, walked over to the door and warily read the note.

"Good morning, Jess! Make yourself at home. Help yourself to some breakfast. I had to run an errand, but I'll be back soon. Love, Katie."

Jessie breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the time. It was noon. She hadn't realized she had slept so late. She wasn't very hungry, so she decided to take a shower while waiting for Katie. She turned on the water and found the right temperature. As she undressed, she felt a dull soreness in both of her arms. She looked up in the mirror and noticed a bruise on each arm where David had violently grabbed her. She shuddered. She was completely confounded as to why she had stayed with him for so long. She couldn't figure out why she would stay with someone who would do this to her. She continued staring at herself until the mirror was completely fogged up by the steam coming from the hot water. She stepped into the shower and let the water drip down her back. The hot water began to soothe her skin. She began to feel cleansed; renewed. This was a brand new day. And last night was the start of a brand new life. She smiled to herself as she thought of Katie.

As Jessie emerged from the shower, she wrapped a towel around her and walked out to the living room while drying her hair with another towel. She was greeted by a smiling Katie, who was cleaning up the kitchen.

"Hey! Well look at that. It lives!"

Jessie laughed. "Yeah. Sorry. I was just…exhausted. What time did you wake up?"

"I don't know…seven maybe?"

Jessie watched Katie as she continued to tidy up the kitchen. Katie noticed Jessie watching her from the corner of her eye, so she stopped cleaning and turned around.

"What's up?" asked Katie.

Jessie shrugged.

"Everything okay?"

Jessie shrugged again. "I don't know. I just…I thought you were leaving. I mean, when I woke up, you were gone and I saw the suitcase and--"

"The suitcase is for you," assured Katie. "I mean…if you want to use it. If you want to go get your stuff. You know…from your place." Katie started walking over to Jessie, anticipating her response.

"Yeah. Yes. I do"

"Okay. Okay, good."

"I just…I guess I haven't really thought this through. I don't even know where I'm going to stay," said Jessie.

"Well…I could take you to your mom's. Or your dad's….or I could…bring you back here. You know…until you figure out what you want to do."

"Yeah. Well, maybe I should go to my mom's. Just for now, anyway. Until I get things squared away."

Katie wasn't too devastated by Jessie's response. She knew that staying with her mom was probably the best thing for Jessie right now. And besides, Katie had every intention of being around to see Jessie through this. She would just be a phone call and a car ride away.

"Good. It's settled then. We'll go get your stuff later today," said Katie.

"Okay. I mean…I don't have much to go get. Just the essentials. Clothes. And your letter. I would grab my guitar, but…well…you know..."

Katie nodded and wrapped her arms around Jessie and pulled her into a hug. She could feel Jessie's damp hair against her face. She could smell the fresh soap on her skin. Katie couldn't resist and started slowly kissing Jessie's neck.

"I missed this," she whispered.

Jessie, who was enjoying ever second of this, responded. "Me too."

Katie pulled back and looked at her. She was beaming. She had no idea how Jessie would react this morning after what had happened between them the night before, but now that she knew Jessie was okay with everything, her heart was soaring.

"What errand did you run?" asked Jessie.

"Oh…well…I was actually hoping you'd still be asleep by the time I got back, but I guess I took a little longer than I thought. I just picked up a few things. Groceries and stuff. Um…why don't you get changed. Then you can help me put everything away."

"Oh fun! Just what I want to do. Put stuff away," teased Jessie as she headed back into the room to change.

After she changed, Jessie emerged from the bedroom and she immediately stopped in the doorway when she spotted something she hadn't seen earlier. A brand new acoustic guitar was leaning against the chair. Jessie was completely stunned. She looked over at Katie, who was leaning against the dining table, nervously awaiting Jessie's reaction. Jessie was speechless. She walked over to the chair, picked up the guitar and started to softly strum the strings. She was breathless. She couldn't say a word. She just looked at Katie unable to believe that someone would go out of their way like that with such a beautiful gesture.

She managed to finally choke out a few words. "Katie, I…a Gibson J-45? I don't even know what to say."

"I remembered you said you always wanted one. That every good musician needs a Gibson. I figured you were gonna need it for your show next week. It's your audition for Eli's band, right?"

"Yeah, but…Katie this is…this is too much. I mean, it's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me, but it's too much. I can't accept it."

Katie walked over toward Jessie. "Jess, if you could see your face right now. If you could only see what I'm looking at, then you'd know. You'd know how worth it everything is just to see that look on your face. That look when you're holding this guitar…it's priceless. You have to accept it. You have to because I absolutely need to see that look on your face every day. It just brings light into my heart. Please."

Katie put her hand up to Jessie's face and leaned in to kiss her. The guitar was separating their bodies. Jessie held onto it for dear life, as if she never wanted to let it go. But if any reason was good enough to put it down for a moment, this was it. She gently put the guitar down and closed the gap between their two bodies as they continued kissing. When they pulled apart, Jessie just smiled at Katie.

"So…this means you'll keep it?" asked Katie.

"Yeah. It's my dream guitar given to me by…well…I guess you're something of a dream yourself, aren't you?"

"You're being cheesy. Cheesiness works for you. I like it. It's endearing," said Katie, as she pulled Jessie in for another kiss.

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The following week, Jessie was up on stage again, setting up for her show. She tried to keep her hands from shaking as she began to tune her guitar. She glanced over at Katie, who was serving drinks behind the bar. Just seeing Katie's face, knowing she was there helped Jessie to relax a little bit. Katie gave her a reassuring look. She could tell Jessie was nervous, so she walked over to the stage, bearing the perfect cure for nerves.

"Here. This should help calm you down a little," said Katie as she handed Jessie a shot of Patron. Jessie looked at it tentatively.

"Uh…so your goal is to get me to pass out on stage?" asked Jessie.

Katie laughed. "No. My goal is to loosen you up a bit."

"Well, I'm not doing a shot alone. Where's yours?"

"Right here," said Katie, as she pulled another shot off or her tray.

"So what should we drink to?" asked Jessie.

Katie stepped up onto the stage so she was face to face with Jessie. They stood there, gazing at each other, not really noticing the place was beginning to fill up. Katie had momentarily abandoned her post behind the bar, preventing people from getting their drinks. At the moment she didn't care. She smiled at Jessie, who smiled back. Neither of them said a word. They didn't have to. They both knew what they were drinking to. Katie raised her glass to Jessie's.

"Slainte," she said as they both leaned back and emptied their shot glasses.

Jessie could feel the alcohol burning down her throat and immediately felt a little better. Katie reached out and took the empty shot glass from Jessie's hand. Her fingers tenderly caressed Jessie's hand as she slowly pulled the shot glass away and smiled at her.

"Good luck, Jess. I know you'll do great."

Jessie watched Katie walk back over to the bar. At that moment, she felt like forgetting about her show and hanging out with Katie the rest of the night. But she knew she couldn't do that. This gig was too important. For a few different reasons.

As Jessie continued setting up, she continually glanced over in Katie's direction and caught her eye a few times. The past week had gone by so quickly. She and Katie had gone to get Jessie's things and brought everything to her mom's house, where she's been staying. David has pretty much stayed out of the picture. After she told her parents what happened with David, Rick paid him a visit and made it clear that he was to stay out of Jessie's way and never come into contact with her again. David complied and only put up a fight once. A couple days ago he tried calling Jessie and begged her to give him another chance. When she refused, he started yelling at her again. Jessie hung up on him and hadn't heard from him since. Things were better now; more peaceful. And now that Katie was around all the time, Jessie has never been happier. She has never felt more complete and contented. They hadn't had a repeat of last week's tryst, but they both knew there would be plenty of time for that. Jessie and Katie knew that what they had between them was forever. There was no doubt about it. It may have taken them seven years to get to this point, but at least now they'd have the rest of their life to make up for all that lost time.

While Katie was serving drinks, she saw Rick and Lily come through the door, soon followed by Karen. Eli's bandmates took their seats up front. Katie looked around for Eli, but couldn't find him anywhere. She remembered him showing up with his band, but he took off somewhere shortly after that.

"Katie. Can you grab another crate of Leffe from the storage fridge?" asked Katie's boss, as he was marking the inventory.

She looked over at Jessie, who wasn't exactly ready to start yet. "Uh…sure. I'll be right back."

She walked around to the back door and as she pushed the door open, she stopped suddenly in her tracks and tried to look away from the scene in front of her, but it was like a bad accident. For some reason, she just couldn't pull her eyes away.

Grace and Eli were caught off guard and immediately pulled away from their passionate kiss. They both had that deer in the headlights look. They stood there, all three of them, in the most awkward two minutes of silence any of them had ever experienced. Katie looked back and forth from Grace to Eli. Grace looked back and forth from Eli to Katie. Eli looked at his shoes, kicking the bottle cap in front of him.

More silence. Katie tried to speak, but really had no idea what to say.

"I…just…beer…," she pointed over to the storage space.

More silence.

Finally, Eli looked at his watch as he began to walk back inside. "Oh…uh…well, I should get back in there. Jessie's about to start."

Katie and Grace were left staring at each other. Katie smiled awkwardly and shrugged. Grace just sort of nodded, nonchalantly.

"Well," said Grace. "This has been sufficiently awkward. So, I'm just gonna go. And be somewhere that's not right here."

Katie watched as Grace scurried back inside. Katie couldn't help but laugh. 'Oh boy,' she thought. 'Jessie's parents are gonna have A LOT to adjust to in the coming months.'

As Katie came back in with the crate, she immediately looked over at Jessie, who was at the microphone. Once she saw Katie, she was ready to finally start her show. She looked out at the at the crowd. The place was almost completely filled up. She picked up her new guitar and slid the strap over her shoulder.

"I just want to thank everyone for coming. Um…this first song…well, I just wrote it. And I wrote it with this guitar. And every word is true." Jessie looked over at Katie as she said that last part. Jessie gripped her guitar and started strumming. She usually closed her eyes during the first song, but not this time. She didn't want to miss a moment.

"Take my hand, break my stride  
Make me smile, for every time I've cried  
Hold my heart, in the palm of your hand  
Don't listen to it breaking, I need you understand,  
Have you ever been held before?  
How can I make you see?  
I've never been held before  
Like the way you hold me

You make me feel like a river  
Like a water overflow  
I wanna shout it out from the mountain  
I wanna sing it on the radio  
I'd sell my soul like a sinner  
If it means you'll never go"

Katie couldn't take her eyes off of Jessie. She let every word of that song sink in. She knew it was about her. There was no doubt in her mind. Just as she knew the one at her last show was about her. She tried to fight it, but she couldn't. Those damn tears would not stop forming as she continued to watch Jessie sing. Jessie was still looking right at Katie.

"I think the sun is finally rising  
It's burning down because I miss you  
I'm gonna walk right through the fire  
'Cause all I wanna do is kiss you  
Rain falls, but won't wash this away  
I'll build a stone wall, to make you stay

You make me feel like a river  
Like a water overflow  
Wanna shout it out from the Mountain  
Wanna sing it on the radio  
I'll sell my soul like a sinner  
If it means you'll never go"

Jessie could feel every emotion come pouring out of her. She put her heart and soul into this song and her entire body was getting into the rhythm. She had the crowed completely mesmerized. But the only one she cared about getting through to was Katie. And it was working. Jessie always had a hard time putting into words exactly what she was feeling. She wasn't one to often open up emotionally, so this was her way of telling Katie everything she was feeling about her.

"You make me feel like a river  
Like a water overflow  
Wanna shout it out from the Mountain  
Wanna sing it on the radio  
I'll sell my soul like a sinner  
If it means you'll never go  
Never go  
Never go"

The song ended and the entire audience erupted in applause. The cheering lasted for what seemed like minutes as Jessie shyly smiled and said thank you. She looked out and saw the look on her dad's face. She could tell he was moved. She saw her mom beaming as she was wildly applauding. Eli's bandmates were equally as impressed, whispering to Eli, telling him they needed his sister in the band. Jessie looked over at Katie once more. Their eyes locked and Katie was completely enthralled. It took all of her strength not to run up to the stage and kiss Jessie right there in front of everyone. She knew that now was not the time. This was Jessie's night. And she was happy just being a part of it.

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**EPILOGUE**

It was a warm May afternoon. Jessie was outside on the porch, sitting in a chair strumming her Gibson. Katie walked out with two cups of hot coffee in her hands. Jessie looked up at Katie and put her guitar down as Katie handed her a cup of coffee. Jessie smiled and put the coffee down. She took Katie's hand and sat her down in front of her, taking the other cup from her hand and putting it down. Katie leaned back against Jessie as Jessie wrapped her arms around her, resting her chin on Katie's shoulder.

"So…the tour starts next week. Are you ready?" asked Katie.

"I'm never ready. But it'll be fun watching me panic, won't it?" replied Jessie.

"You're not nervous, are you?"

"Maybe…a little. But you'll never know that. I'll never let on," said Jessie as she nuzzled her face in Katie's neck.

"Well, I'll be there. I mean a musician is only as good as her roadie, right?" said Katie.

"You're not my roadie. You're my muse…who, coincidentally, will be carrying my equipment and bringing me drinks and setting up the stage…"

"Haha. Very funny. I think you've forgotten what a big deal you guys are now. Thirty-four sold-out shows? I think you can afford to hire people to that for you now," replied Katie as she took Jessie's hand in hers. The last two and a half years seemed to have flown by for the two of them. Jessie had filed for divorce shortly after her show that night at the club. She and Katie have been together ever since. They eventually told their families about the relationship. It was definitely a struggle, but it was a struggle worth fighting for. Jessie's family was a lot more supportive than they thought they would be. It seemed after the whole David debacle, all they really wanted was to see Jessie happy. And Jessie could honestly say she was. Katie, too. She had spent seven years running from the one thing that made her happy. And now she vowed to never run away again. With Jessie by her side, she knew there was nothing that could ever pull them apart.

They sat there looking out at the view in front of them. The Montana sky was turning from a bright blue to reddish orange color as the sun was slowly setting over their small ranch just outside Columbia Falls.

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah. I know," replied Jessie as she gripped Katie's hand tighter. "You know I love you, too, right?"

"Yeah," said Katie as she turned around and gently kissed Jessie. "I was just checking,"

THE END


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